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Arasavilli

Arasavilli

AP, South India, Temple

April 162014

Arasavilli and its uniqueness: Arasavilli Ancient Sun Temple, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh

Arasavilli is located in Srikakulam. It is 3.5 kilometers away from Srikakulam town. This is one of the ancient and historical temples in Andhra Pradesh. It is Lord Suryanarayana Swami temple and quite a large number of devotees visit this sacred place every year.

What to see in Arasavilli?

Arasavilli Sun Temple: It is a very famous temple. It is named after the Hindu Solar Deity, Surya. The original name is Harshavalli. The meaning of this is ‘abode of joy’. People believe that the temple is built for the welfare of the mankind. Historians say that it might have been built in 7th century AD by Kalinga rulers. This is one of the frequently visited pilgrimage temples in India. People visit the temple to see the sun rays fall directly on the feet of the deity. The rays first fall on the Dhwajasthambam through the Gopuram of the temple and then touch the feet of the God. The rays also fall on the foot, navel and head of the statue. The morning rays directly fall on the feet of the God only twice in a year. This rare sight takes place on in the months of March and October. The astounding fact is that the rays fall in that way, even though the gates are closed. The devotees strongly believe that the worship of Sun God will bring them wealth, health and happiness.

What to see around Arasavilli?

Srimukhalingam: It is on the banks of Vamsadhara River in Srikakulam district. It is 48 kilometers away from Srikakulam. We find it on the north of the town. The centre of attraction of this place is Srimukhalingeswara temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Srikurmam: We find this temple 18 KM away from Srikakulam. It is one of the unique temples of the world. The name of the village Srikurmam is derived from the temple name. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This is only the temple in India where Lord Vishnu is found in Kurmavathara.

Kalingapatnam: Kalingapatnam beach is located near Srikakulam. It is 20 kms away from the town. Places which will interest you are Buddhist Stupa and Light house. As there is a guest house, visitors need not bother about accommodation.

Teleneelapuram and Telukunchi: There are two bird sanctuaries in Srikakulam and each one is located in 65 and 115 kilometers respectively from the town. Teleneelapuram is near Tekkali and Telukunchi is in the Mandal of Ichapuram. Birds from different parts of the world come to these sanctuaries. Painted storks and Pelicans are center of attraction.

Getting to Arasavilli: There are buses, trains and flights available to reach Srikakulam. It is well connected to other parts of the state. If one chooses to go by train, one has to get down at Amadalavalasa and from there Srikakulam is just 13 kilometres. There is regular public and private transportation available to the RTC Complex. In the terminology of IRCTC, you find the name, Amadalavalasa as Srikakulam Road.

If you want to go by flight, you have to reach Visakhapatnam first and then move to Srikakulam, which is 106 kilometres from that place. RTC buses are available to go to the desired place.

Bus facility is also there to reach Srikakulam. Public and private buses are run on regular basis to this place. You find the buses from Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Visakhapatnam and so on.

Getting Around Arasavilli: Local transport is available to look around Arasavilli. As it is a pleasant place, people do spend their time in the aforementioned tourist places.

Best Time to visit Arasavilli: The best time to visit this place is October and November.

Where to stay at Arasavilli: Srikakulam is the place where you find star hotels and budget hotels suiting the needs of the people.

Where to eat at Arasavilli: The food available in Srikakulam is tasty and delicious. As there are star hotels available, multiple food items are at the reach of the people. You find vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in almost all the hotels.

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Mathura

Mathura

UP, North India, Musuem, Rath Yatra, Temple

April 102014

Mathura is the land on which Lord Sri Krishna is born. This is one of the most important religious places in India. this city is in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Mathura is visited by devotees not only from all corners of India but also from other countries. It was earlier called ‘Vrindavan’ situated on the banks of River Yamuna. Later on it became popular as Mathura. There are number of Krishna temples in the city. This place is important as religious place and equally important for its history and temple sculptures. Large number of people participates in the annual ‘Rath Yatra’ in Mathura. Krishnashtami is celebrated grandly here and the daily ‘Deep Aarti’ for river Yamuna also attracts large number of devotees.

What to see at Mathura:

Krishna Janmabhoomi temple:

This is believed to be the place where Lord Krishna was born. There is also a museum here in which the things found during excavation are kept which include a platform that is found in prisons.

Dwarkadhish temple:

This was built in 1814 and is located in the middle of the city of Mathura. One of the most visited temples of Mathura, this attracts the devotees with its beautiful paintings and carvings. Holi and Janmashtami are celebrated here grandly.

Banked Bihari Temple: This temple was built in 1864. The architecture of the temple mesmerizes the visitors. The idol of Lord Krishna in this temple can be seen for 15 minutes for each hour.

Madan Mohan temple:

This is a very ancient temple and is situated near Kali Ghat. This is said as the first temple to be built in Vrindavan. The idol of this temple was shifted to Rajasthan during the time when Aurangzeb was destroying Hindu temples, it is said.

ISKON temple:

One of the most beautiful temples in Mathura is the ISKON temple.

Rangji temple:

This temple is built in south Indian temple architecture style. This was built in 1851 by Seth, a rich family in Mathura. Main deity here is Rangnath Swamy. Every year Rath Yatra is held for ten days in the month of Chaitra.

Shahji temple:

This was built by Shah kundan Lal of Lucknow in 1876. The architecture and the sculptures are very beautiful.

Govind Dev temple:

This temple was built by General Man Singh in 1950 this is built in a combination of Hindu and Muslim architecture styles.

What to see around Mathura:

Vrindavan: This is right next to Mathura city. Vrindavan is believed to be the place where Krishna spent his childhood. this ancient town is most visited by Hindus. There are many important temples in this holy city.

Gokul: This is only a few kilometers away from Mathura. When Krishna was born in the prison, he was brought here by Vasudev to save him from Kamsa.

Nand gaon: This is the home of Nand and Yashoda.

Agra: This is located 58 kilometers away from Mathura. This is the place where the most famous Taj Mahal and Red Fort are located.

Getting to Mathura:

Mathura is situated 145 kms from capital city of India, New Delhi. This is at a distance of 58 kms from Agra. Well developed road and railways are available to reach the place. Mathura is one of the major city between New Delhi and Agra and daily many number of buses and trains run between the two. Nearest airport to Mathura is Kheria (Agra) which is at a distance of 62 kilometers.

Getting Around Mathura:

There are many private buses, tempos, Rickshaws and Tongas that offer to take the devotees around Mathura.

Best Time to visit Mathura:

The climatic conditions in Mathura are extreme. Best season to visit this place is from October to March.

Where to stay at Mathura:

Mathura receives large number of tourists every day and there are hotels that suit to every pocket. It has standard and budget hotels which offer comfortable accommodation.

Where to eat at Mathura:

Mouthwatering delicacies are offered in eat outs in Mathura. Visitors will be thrilled to enjoy budgeted and clean food at the canteens that run by temples and also other places.

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Chittoor

Chittoor

AP, South India, Adventurous sports, Architecture, Fort, History, Mountain Passes, Nature, Temple, Valley, Water falls, Wildlife Sanctuary

April 102014

Chittoor is located in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. In Andhra Pradesh it is the major town. It is situated in the valley of the Ponni River. During 8th and 9th century this place was ruled by Chola dynasty. Later it was ruled by Ballal dynasty followed by Vijaynagar kingdom. In 1640, East India Company entered into this place. This is one of the best places for natural lovers. It is popularly known as Ooty of Andhra.

 

What to see at Chittoor:

Nagari: This place is popular for Nagari hills. Mountaineering activities take place here. Highest cliff at this place is Nagari Nose. Shape of this nose looks like human nose. Famous temple at this place is Sri Desamma Vari. Devotees believe that by doing abhishekam eye problems of the will be cured.

Guntipalle: It is located 18kms away from Chittoor. Rock pillar is the major attraction of this place. This is popularly known as Puligunda.

Kalavagunta: It is located 8kms away from the town chittoor. At the merging point of Ponnai and Aragonda this town is located. During the chola dynasty several temples were constructed at this place. Architecture of these temples is so beautiful. Most famous temples were Lakshminarayana Temple which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Mukkantisvara Temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Gurramkonda: It is located in Chittoor district. Gurramkonda fort is the major attraction of this place. This fort is 500 years old fort. Architecture is so beautiful. It is stated by the local people that rulers reach this place by using horse.

Mogili: It is located 25kms away from Chittoor. Mogileeswara Temple is the major attraction at this place. This temple is known as Dakshina Kailasam. Mogilliappa constructed this Lord Shiva Temple under Mogili tree.

Tirupati: This is the major attraction in Chittoor district. Lakhs of devotes come to this place. Lord Ventakeswara is worshipped here. Temple was built in 12th century. Pallava, Pandya and Chola architecture styles can be seen on this temple. Dome of this temple is fully gold plated. Papanasam waterfalls are another attraction of this place.

Vepanjeri village: It is located 15kms away from Chittoor. This village is famous for Sri Lakshmi Narayana Swamy Temple. Temple was built between 1178 and 1218. Pallava Style of architecture can be seen here.

Pulicat Lake: This place is most famous among bird watchers. Plenty of migratory birds come to this place. This lake is separated from Bay of Bengal.

Kaundinya Wildlife sanctuary: It is located 60kms away from Chittoor. It is surrounded by hills and valleys. Large number of elephants lives at this place. Other animals along with elephants are jackals, hares etc. Huge collection of flora and fauna can be seen here.

 

What to see around Chittoor:

Ramgiri: This is located few kilometres away from chittoor district. It is believed that this is the home place for Lord Bhairava. Several ancient temples located here. At the foot of the hill Lord Shiva temple is located. Lord Muruga temple is also situated on the top of the hill. Near these temples tank is situated. Water which flow from top of the mountain attracts several tourists.

 

Getting to Chittoor: Chittoor is well connected with road and railways. From Vellore, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore, Pondicherry, Pune, Vijayawada, Chennai etc buses come to this place. From Kolkata, Mumbai, Varanasi, Chandigarh etc trains come to this place. Nearest airport is located at Trisulam which is 15kms away from chittoor.

 

Getting around Chittoor: Buses, taxis, private cabs are available to visit the surrounding places of Chittoor.

 

Best time to visit Chittoor: Best time to visit this place is February, September, October, November and December.

 

Where to stay at Chittoor: Plenty of accommodations starting from budget to luxury hotels are available to stay at Chittoor. Best hotels at this place are Sindhu Towers, Bans The Hotel, Bhaskara Hotel, Haritha Hotel.

 

Where to eat at Chittoor: Huge number of restaurants is available to have food at Chittoor.

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Horsley Hills

Horsley Hills

AP, South India, Adventurous sports, Hill station, History, Nature, Temple, Trekking

April 102014

Horsley Hills is popular hill resort in Andhra Pradesh. From Tirupathi this resort is located 144 kms away and from Bangalore it is 140Kms away. It is located at Nallamalai Range, near south western border of Andhra Pradesh in Chittoor district. This is a departure point for the wildlife sanctuary named Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary is located 87kms away from this hill station. Earlier name of this hill station is Yenugu Mallamma Konda.

 

What to see at Horsley Hill: This is a beautiful hill resort in Andhra Pradesh. Other name of this resort is Yenugu Mallamma Konda. One of the legends of this place is a little girl named mallamma used to take care of the elephants at this place. She acted as a doctor to the tribal’s. Mallamma used to heal the tribal’s at this place. Suddenly she disappeared. So all the tribal’s thought that she was the incarnation of the Goddess and they built a temple for her on this hill. In 1840-43, Collector of Cuddapah Mr.Horsley came to this place and enjoyed the natural beauty. From then onwards he used to come to this place in every summer. This place became summer resort to him. Currently this place is acting as summer resort to the Governor of Andhra Pradesh. Hence this house is also known as Governors bungalow.

 

This place is surrounded by gulmohar, allamanda, Jacaranda, Eucalyptus trees. Other attractions of this place are Horsley Hills Museum, Gaalibanda, High view seeing place, Lake Gangotri and Environmental Park. Adventurous sports such as Trekking, Rappelling also conducts here.

Mallamma Temple: It is located at the top of the Horsley hills. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Mallamma.

 

What to see around Horsley Hills:

Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary: It is located Palamaner in Andhra Pradesh. Several species of trees namely bamboo, bengalensis, Ficus, Ficus religiosa, Ficus tomentosa, Albizia Amara etc can be seen here. Major animal attractions of this palce are wild boar, jungle cat, porcupine, deer, mouse deer, sambar, 4 horned antelope etc. This sanctuary is surrounded by deep valleys and hills. Along with all the above animals visitors can see 3 Indian crocodile species, hippopotamus, hyena, Himalayan black bear, Jaguar, Puma.

 

Getting to Horsley Hill: Horsley hill is well connected with road and railways. From Chintamani, Kottakota, tirupati, Mandanapalli, Angallu, Kurabalakota etc buses come to this place. From secunderabad, Amarvati, Madanapalli, etc trains come to this place. Nearest airport is located at Tirupati.

 

Getting around Horsley Hill: Private Vehicles and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Horsley hill.

 

Best time to visit Horsley Hill: Horsley Hill welcomes the visitors throughout the year. Summer is too hot. So except summer visitors reach this place throughout the year. But trekking lovers come to this place even in the summer.

 

Where to stay at Horsley Hill: Only one hotel is available to stay at this place. Name of this hotel is Haritha Hill resort.

 

Where to eat at Horsley Hill: Hotel at this hill place provides food to the visitors of this place.

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Warangal

Warangal

AP, South India, Architecture, Fort, History, Mughal, Temple

April 102014

Warangal is also well known as Orugallu. It is located in Andhra Pradesh, India. During the historical period this place acted as capital to Kakatiya kingdom. In 1687 this place was conquered by Aurangzeb, Mughal Emperor. This place is 4th largest city in Andhra Pradesh.

 

What to see at Warangal:

Thousand Pillared Temple: This is one of the major attractions of Warangal. In 1163, this was constructed by King Rudra Dev. Temple is famous for carved pillars. Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Lord Surya carvings can be seen here.

Bhadrakali Temple: It was constructed in 8th century. Goddess Kali is worshipped here. Chalukya Style of architecture can be seen here. Deity can be seen with 8 hands.

Ramappa Lake: This was used by the Kakatiya rulers for the irrigation purpose. In 13th century, it was built by Ganapati Deva. Boating is the major attraction at this place. Near this place visitors can find Lord Shiva temple.

Warangal Fort: Fort was constructed in 13th century. This fort was famous for 4 large stone gateways, carved pillars and carved arches. During 13th century this fort was under the control of Rani Rudramma Devi. Inside the fort, visitors can see Swayambhudevi temple. This temple is dedicated to Mother Earth. Near this fort visitors can also see Khush Mahal which was constructed by Shittabh Khan.

Ramappa Temple: It was built in 12th century during kakatiya period. South Indian Architectural style can be seen here. Lord Shiva is worshipped here. Idol of Lord Shiva is place in star shaped platform. Idol is 6 feet high. Before the temple one can find 9feet long statue of Nandi. Walls of this temple say the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Huge crowd can be seen during Shivaratri period.

Jain Mandir: This temple is famous for architectural work and intricate carvings. Lord Mahavira is worshipped here. Other Thirthankaras idols can also be seen here.

Other attractions of Warangal: Other attractions of Warangal are Padmakshi Temple, Kakatiya Rock Garden, Rayaparthy Shiva Temple, Musical Garden, and Someswara Temple

 

What to see around Warangal:

Hanamkonda: It is located 5kms away from Warangal. During the Kakatiya Dynasty this village was found by Hanumaiah and Kondaiah. This village is named after Hanuman Temple. When Hanuman was returning with the Sanjeevni Mountain few stones fell at the place where present Hanuman Temple was built.

Pakhal Lake: It is located 55kms away from Warangal. During 13th century this was built by Ganapati Deva, Kakatiya Ruler. It is surrounded by dense forest and hilly terrain. This place is home to several flora and fauna.

Sri Veeranarayana Temple: It is located in Kolanupaka Warangal district which is situated 71kms away from Warangal. Chalukya architectural style can be seen here. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here.

Other attractions near Warangal: Other attractions near Warangal are Govindarajula Gutta, Siddeshwara Temple, Pembarti Village, Ethunagaram Sanctuary, Ghanpur Group of Temples and Lakhnavaram Lake.

 

Getting to Warangal: Warangal is well connected with road and railways. Road way is well connected with Hyderabad, Bhopaklpatnam, Chhattisgarh etc. Rail route is well connected with Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Vijayawada etc. Nearest airport is located at Hyderabad which is 160kms away from Warangal.

 

Getting around Warangal: Autos and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Warangal.

 

Best time to visit Warangal: Best time to visit this place is throughout the year. But summer is too hot.

 

Where to stay at Warangal: Plenty of accommodations are available at this place. Apart from hotels, guest houses are also available to stay at this place. Best hotels are Asoka Hotel, Ratna Hotel, City grand Hotel.

 

Where to eat at Warangal: Several restaurants are available to have food at this place.

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Eluru

Eluru

AP, South India, Bird Sanctuary, Temple

April 102014

Eluru is a city in West Godawari district, Andhra Pradesh, India. City is acting as district headquarters. Earlier name of this place is Helapuri. Several well established educational institutions such as St. Theresa’s college for Woman, CRR College etc are located here. Incense Sticks and Carpets exports to all over the country. Once this place was part of Vengi, which was an ancient Buddhist Kingdom. Several dynasties ruled the place such as Gajapatis, Chalukyas, Vijayangara.

 

What to see in Eluru:

Eluru Ashram: It is associated with Datta Peetham. Other name of this place is Nam Datta Natha Kshetra. Inside the ashram there is a small temple. In this temple, Anagha Devi and Lord Dattatreya idols can be seen. Guru Nilayam and Prayer hall is located inside the ashram.

Sri Adikesava Embermannar Swamy Temple: It was constructed 200 years ago. This is most important place for Vaishnavites. Annual Brahmotasavam Festival is most famous at this temple. Architecture of this temple is similar to Sriperumbudur Temple in Tamilnadu.

Other places at Eluru: Other attractions of Eluru are Saibaba Temple RR Peta, Ambikadevi Temple Satrampadu, Vatlur Saibaba Temple, Jaalapaharaeswara Swamy Temple, Venkateswara Swamy Temple RR Peta, Diocese of Eluru, CSI Church, Sai Mandir Eastern Street established in 1946.

 

What to see around Eluru:

Gangeshwaralayam: It is located 20kms away from Eluru. This temple was constructed by Bhishma who was the character in the epic Mahabharata. Inside the temple, Swayambhu Gangeswar Shivalinga is situated. Another attraction near this temple is Lord Rama Temple.

Dwaraka Tirumala: Other name of this place is Chinna Tirupathi. It is located 38kms away from Eluru. Lord Venkateswara is worshipped here. Temple is situated on Seshadri Hill. Saint Dwaraka, had unearthered the idol of Lord Venkateswara at this place. So this place is named after him.

Kolleru Bird Sanctuary: It is located 28kms away from Eluru. Best time to visit this place is from October to May. Major attractions of this place are White ibis, egret, Moorhen, Jacana, tern, duck, Painted stork, grey heron, cormorant, open bill stork.

Kolleru Lake: This is the best place for the natural lovers. It is located 16kms away from Eluru. It is a largest fresh water lake in India. This lake covers both Krishna and West Godavari districts. Water of this lake comes from the rivers Ramileru, Yerru Kalva, Tammileru, and Budameru. November and March is the best time to see this lake. Plenty of migrated birds come to this place along with home birds. Major attraction of this place is White ibis, egret, Moorhen, Jacana, tern, duck, Painted stork, grey heron, cormorant, open bill stork. Other name of this place is Peerless Fisherman’s Paradise and Bird Heaven.

 

Getting to Eluru: Eluru is well connected with road and railways. From Salem, Pondicherry, Vellore, Delhi, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Nagpur, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam etc buses come to this place. From Nagpur, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, etc trains come to this place. Nearest airport is located at Hyderabad.

 

Getting around Eluru: Taxis, Private Vehicles, Autos, Government run buses are available to visit the surrounding places of Eluru.

 

Best time to visit Eluru: Best time to visit this place is between October to March.

 

Where to stay in Eluru: Plenty of accommodations are available to stay at this place. Only few luxury hotels are available here. Along with hotels guest houses are also available to stay here. Best hotels are Adithya Central Hotel, Athidhi International, Hotel Grand Aarya, Usha Valentine Hotel.

 

Where to eat in Eluru: Plenty of restaurants are available at this place.

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Basara

Basara

AP, South India, Temple

April 102014

Basara is located in Adilabad district in Andhra Pradesh, India. Major attraction of this place is Saraswathi Temple. This is the only one such temple in India. It is located on the banks of river Ganga. In India, there are only two saraswati temples. One is located at Jammu & Kashmir and other is located here.

 

What to see at Basara:

Gnana Saraswati Temple: Goddess Saraswati is worshipped here. Goddess Sarawathi is a symbol for learning and Knowledge. Children will be brought to this place for learning ceremony. This ceremony is known as Akshara Abyasam. According to the legend, after the Kurukshetra war, sage Ved Vyasa wants to settle down at a peaceful peace. At that time he reached to Dandaka Forest and selected this place to stay for some time. During those days he made three images of Kali, Lakshmi and Saraswati with sand with his powers and conducted prayers. As Vyasa conducted prayers at this place, so it was named as Vasara. Later due to the influence of Marathi Language name was changed into Basara. According to Brahmanda Purana, Vyasa wrote Mahabharata at this place. Image of Lakshmi stands besides the image of Goddess Saraswati but Mahakali Image was situated on the 1st floor near the main temple.

Vyasa Maharshi Samadhi: This is the other attraction of this place. Samadhi is located very near to the temple. At that place marble image of Maharshri can be seen.

Other Places at Basara: Other Places to visit at Basara are Lord Shiva Temple located at the banks of river Godavari, Sri Vedavathi Shila, Sri Vyasa Maharshi Guha, Sri Dattatreya Temple, Sri Mahakali Temple, Godavari River.

 

What to see around Basara:

Kalwa Narsimha Swamy Temple: It is located in Koneru city. This place is famous for Vanabhojanam (meals served under the tree). Children Park at this place is other attraction of this place. It is located 85kms away from Basara.

Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary: It is surrounded by dense forest. It has diverse natural vegetation that includes Marsupium, Pterocarpus, Dalbergia and paniculata. Animals of this place are Hyenas, wild dogs, languor, leopards, forest cats, tiger etc.

Kadam Dam: It was constructed over Kaddam River between 1949 to 1965.

Kawal Wild life sanctuary: This place is famous for both flora and fauna. It was established in 1964. This sanctuary is surrounded by herbs of teak, bamboo and dense forest. Major animal attractions of this place are barking deer, nilgai, Panther, Cheetal, Sambhar, tiger etc. Major birds of this place are kingfishers, Owls, Quails, Eagles, and Mynahs etc.

Sivaram Wildlife sanctuary: This place is famous for delicious vegetation such as thorny shrubs, teak, gumpena, timan, terminalias etc. It is the home place to Crocodiles along with several animals.

 

Getting to Basara: Basara is well connected with road. Plenty of buses come to this place from Jubilee bus station of Secunderabad and Hyderabad Mahatma Gandhi Bus stop. Basara is having the railway station between Secunderabad Junction and Mudkhed Junction. Nearest airport is located at Hyderabad.

 

Getting around Basara: Buses are available to visit the surrounding places of Basara.

 

Best time to visit Basara: Basara welcome the tourists throughout the year.

 

Where to stay at Basara: Best accommodation facilities are available at this place. Along with hotels guest houses are also available here. Best accommodations are TTD guest house, Rajanna Nilayam, Vemulawada Guest house, etc. Cost of small and midrange hotels will be Rs.300 or less. Cost of A/C rooms will be Rs.1200 to Rs.1500.

 

Where to eat in Basara: Several restaurants are available at this place. Only vegetarian food is available here.

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Anantapur

Anantapur

AP, South India, Fort, Temple

April 102014

Anantapur is a district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the biggest district in Andhra Pradesh. This is the part of Rayalaseema Region. Earlier name of this place is Anantasagaram which means Endless Ocean. This name is named after a huge tank present at the centre. On the north side of the district Kurnool is located, on the eastern side Cuddapah and Chittoor districts, on the South western part it is bordered by Karnataka. Several ancient forts are located here. Major source of revenue of this district is handicrafts and silk industries. Plenty of agro based industries are also located here.

 

What to see in Anantapur:

Penna Ahobilam: This place is famous for Lord Narasimha Swamy Temple. Within the temple complex visitors can see Chenchu Lakshmi Devi Temple, Adi Lakshmi Devi Temple.

Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple: Lord Shiva is worshipped here in the name of Ramalingeswara Swamy. Architecture of this temple is so attractive. Underground stream of water present in the grabha griha. Earlier at this place, Sage Parasurama performed meditation. Visitors can see Shiva Puranam at the walls of the temple. Some episodes of Mahabharata and Ramayana can also be seen here.

Veerabhadra Temple: It is located in Lepakshi Village. Vijayanagara Architectural style can be seen on the temple. It was constructed in 16th century. Lord Veerabhadra is worshipped here. Attractions of this temple are life size images of musicians and dancers, Sculptures, Granite statue of Nandi Bull.

Thimmamma Marrimanu: This place is famous for banyan tree. In 1989, it was entered into Guinness Book of World Records as biggest tree. People who come to this place will be blessed with child.

Iskon Temple: ISKON had constructed Radha Parthasarathi Temple in Somaladoddi village in Anantapur. One of the interesting things at this place is temple looks in pink colour during the day time and looks like golden shade during the night time.

Raidurga Fort: This fort is famous for Kanyakaparameswari Temple, veerabhadra Temple, Jambukeswara, Venugopala , Prasanna Venkateswara Temples.

Anantapur Clock Tower: It was built during independence period. This is the landmark of Anantapur city.

Sri Kadiri Lakshmi Narayana Temple: Lord Narasimha Swamy is worshipped here. He is one of the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Anantasagaram: It is the oldest and largest reservoir in this district.

Ravadurg Gooty Fort: It is in the shape of the shell. This fort consists of 15 small forts. Fort is dates back to 7th century.

Puttaparthi: It was the residence place of Sathya Sai Baba, notable spiritual teacher.

 

What to see around Anantapur:

Penukonda Fort: It is located 70kms away from Anantapur. This was constructed during the reign of Vira Virupanna Udaiyar. He was the son of King Bukka I of Vijayanagar. Major attractions of this fort are Vijayanagara Architecture style, Huge Idol of Hanuman, yerramanchi gate.

Srikalahasti: Srikalahasti Attractions are Srikalahasti Temple, Bhaktha Kannappa Temple, Durgambika Temple, Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple, Bharadwaja Tirtham.

 

Getting to Anantapur: Anantapur is well connected with road and railways. From Bangalore, Secunderabad, Mumbai, Coimbatore, etc trains come to this place. From Gurgaon, Raipur, Delhi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam etc buses come to this place. Nearest airport is located at Bangalore. In Puttaparthi place airport is situated. This is the domestic airport. Flights from Mumbai and Chennai come to this place.

 

Getting around Anantapur: Buses, Taxis, Autos, Trains are available to visit the surrounding places of Anantapur.

 

Best time to visit Anantapur: Best time to visit this place is between February to December.

 

Where to stay in Anantapur: Plenty of accommodations including luxury hotels are available at this place. Best hotels at this place are Sapthagri Hotel, Sampoorna Hotel, Swagath Hotel.

 

Where to eat in Anantapur: Several restaurants are available here. Both vegetarian and non vegetarian food is available here.

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Mantralayam

Mantralayam

AP, South India, Temple

April 102014

Mantralayam is a town in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is situated on the banks of river Tungabhadra. Other name of this place is Manchale. This place is well known for Raghavendra Swamy temple. Raghavendra Swamy was the disciple of Sri Sudheendra Theertharu of Kumbakonam. Sudheendra Theertharu learned Vedic Texts, ancient literature works, Dwaita Vedanta and grammar to Raghavendra Swamy. It is believed that during Dwapara Yuga, King Prahalada Performed Yagnyas to Lord Rama in this region.

 

What to see at Mantralayam:

Samadhi Temple: This is the major attraction of the Mantralaya Temple complex. Other name of this place is Moola Brindavanam. In 1671, Sri Raghavendra Swamy attained Jeeva Samadhi at this place. At this temple there are 3 chariots. Out of 3 chariots, 2 are plated with gold and one is plated with sandalwood.

Manchalamma Temple: It is located inside the temple complex and situated very close to Samadhi Temple. Goddess is presiding deity of Mantralayam. Before visiting Samadhi Temple, people offer prayers to this Goddess as it is believed that Raghavendra Swamy asked a land from this Goddess to construct this temple and she donated the land to him.

Lakshmi Venkateswara Temple: It is located at the centre of the temple complex. Idol of Venkateswara along with Lakshmi is worshipped here. It is believed that during the life time of Bhakta Prahalada, he worshipped Lord Venkateswara at this place.

Vedic Pathasala: It is located in the temple complex of Mantralayam Mutt. This is the best place to learn different cultures and to learn the knowledge in Dwaita Philosophy, Puranas and Vedas. Foreigners also come to this place to attain knowledge.

 

What to see around Mantralayam:

Chinna Tumbalam Temple: It is located 25kms away from Mantralayam. From past 200 years Lord Narasimha Swamy Temple is worshipped here.

Bichchali: It is located 20kms away from Mantralayam. This is the meditating site of Sri Appannachar. He was the prime disciple of Raghavendra Swamy.

Panchamukhi Anjaneya Swamy Temple: It is located 23kms away from Mantralayam. This temple is situated at a top tocky terrain near Bichchali. Lord Anjaneya is worshipped here. Idol is having 5 faces namely Hayageeva, Narasimha, Hanuman, Garuda and Varaha. It is believed that Sri Raghavendra Theertha did penance for Lord Hanuman for 12 years. Lord Hanuman appeared before him in the form of Panchamukhi Anjaneya at this place.

Kowthalam: It is located 30kms away from Mantralayam. This is the pilgrim place among the followers of Vaishnavite Saints. It is the birth place of Guru Jagannatha Dasaru. He constructed Sri Raghavendra Swamy Temple at this place.

Urukunda: It is located at a distance of 38kms away from Mantralayam. At this place under the Aswatha Vruksha (Banyan Tree) idol of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Erranna Swamy can be seen. Every year thousands of devotees come to this place.

 

Getting to Mantralayam: Mantralayam is well connected with road. From Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mahaboobnagar, Raichur buses come to this place. Nearest railway station is located at Mantralayam Road which is 16kms away from Mantralayam Town. This station lies between Mumbai Chennai, Delhi Bangalore and Mumbai Bangalore routes. Nearest airport is located at Hyderabad.

 

Getting around Mantralayam: Taxis, Private Vehicles are available to visit the surrounding places of Mantralayam.

 

Best time to visit Mantralayam: Best time to visit this place is in February, March, October, November and December.

 

Where to stay at Mantralayam: Plenty of hotels are available to stay at this place. Only few luxury hotels are available. Best hotels are Pavamana Udupi Residency, Pankaja Paradise, Kalpavruksha Lodge, Guru international.

 

Where to eat in Mantralayam: Plenty of restaurants are available at this place to have food. Best restaurant is Hotel Pannaga. Best recipes at this place are Tomato Uttapam and Masala Dosa.

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Adilabad

Adilabad

AP, South India, Temple, Wildlife Sanctuary

April 102014

Adilabad is a district in Andhra Pradesh, India. Earlier name of this place is Edulapuram. Several dynasties ruled this place namely Asaf Jahi dynasty, Qutub Shahi Dynasty and Kakatiya Kings of Warangal. From 13th to 18th centuries this place was ruled by Gond Kings. City is named after Adil Shah, Medieval Bijapur ruler. Some rulers constructed small forts at this place. Adilabad is famous for Handicrafts and pilgrim points. Handicrafts of the tribal’s include Nirmal Painting, toys and metal crafts. Along with pilgrim places, wildlife sanctuaries can also see at this place.

 

What to see at Adilabad:

Basara Saraswati Temple: It is located in Basara village. Goddess Sawaswathi is worshipped here. She is well known for knowledge. It is believed that temple was built at the place where ved Vyas performed meditation. Idols of this place made up of sand by Ved Vyas. This place is famous for Akshara Gnana (child writes on the slate for the first time).

Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary: It is surrounded by dense forest. It has diverse natural vegetation that includes Marsupium, Pterocarpus, Dalbergia and paniculata. Animals of this place are Hyenas, wild dogs, languor, leopards, forest cats, tiger etc.

Kadam Dam: It was constructed over Kaddam River between 1949 to 1965.

Kawal Wild life sanctuary: This place is famous for both flora and fauna. It was established in 1964. This sanctuary is surrounded by herbs of teak, bamboo and dense forest. Major animal attractions of this place are barking deer, nilgai, Panther, Cheetal, Sambhar, tiger etc. Major birds of this place are kingfishers, Owls, Quails, Eagles, and Mynahs etc.

Sivaram Wildlife sanctuary: This place is famous for delicious vegetation such as thorny shrubs, teak, gumpena, timan, terminalias etc. It is the home place to Crocodiles along with several animals.

Mahatma Gandhi Park: This is the best place for meditation in Adilabad.

Kutala Waterfalls: It is located in the middle of Sahyadri mountain range near Neredikonda Village in Adilabad. It is believed that Dushyanta and Shakuntala fell in love at this place. Other attraction of this place is Someshwara Swami Temple.

Kalwa Narsimha Swamy Temple: It is located in Koneru city. This place is famous for Vanabhojanam (meals served under the tree). Children Park at this place is other attraction of this place.

Gudem Satyanarayana Temple: During the Karthika Masam devotees rush is more at this place.

Other attractions of Adilabad: Other attractions of Adilabad are St.Joseph’s church, Sathnala Dam, Jainath Temple in Jainath village, Kadile Papahareshwar Temple, kala Ashram.

What to see around Adilabad:

Pochera Waterfalls: It is the nearest place of Adilabad. This is the home place is to several flora and fauna. It is surrounded by dense forest.

Warangal: Major attraction of this place is Thousand pillar temple. Other attractions of this place are Bhadrakali Temple, Warangal Fort, Ramappa Temple, Pakhal Lake.

 

Getting to Adilabad: Adilabad is well connected with road and railways. Nearest airport is located at Nagpur but people generally prefer to come to this place from Hyderabad airport. From Raipur, Secunderabad, Durgapur, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Jabalpur etc trains come to this place. From Aurangabad, Dimapur, Bhubaneswar, Pune etc buses come to this place.

 

Getting around Adilabad: Both government and private run buses are available to visit the surrounding places of Adilabad.

 

Best time to visit Adilabad: Best time to visit Adilabad is between October to March.

 

Where to stay at Adilabad: Plenty of accommodations including luxurious hotels are available at this place. Along with hotels few guest houses are also available to stay at this place. Best hotels are Kamadhenu Hotel, Haritha Hotel, Sanjay Lodge, Sri Krishna Residency.

 

Where to eat at Adilabad: Several restaurants are available to have food at this place. Restaurants offer both vegetarian and non vegetarian food. Chinese, continental and North Indian cuisines are available here.

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Srisailam

Srisailam

AP, South India, Architecture, Boating, Caves, History, Jyothirlinga, Mahabharata, Shakti peethas, Temple

April 102014

Srisailam is located in Nallamala hills in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a popular weekend destination among the people. Major attraction of this place is Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple. Other name of Srisailam is Srigiri, Sriparvata, and Mantharaparvata. In the epic Mahabharata, Srisailam was mentioned with the name Sri Parvata. Glory of Srisailam dates back to 12th century. At that time this place was famous for Vachana Sahitya and Sharana Movement. Adi Sankara visited this place. It is believed that Akka Mahadevi gained salvation in the caves of Srisailam. He was a Social reformer and Poet. Wildlife sanctuary is other attraction of this place.

 

What to see at Srisailam:

Srisailam Dam: It was constructed across River Krishna. Length of the dam is 512 meters. It is considered as one of the largest hydroelectricity power projects in India. This consists of 12 radial gate ways.

Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple: This is the major attraction of this place. King Harihara Raya built this temple around 6 centuries ago. It is one of the 12 Jyothirlingas in India. Lord Mallikarjuna is worshipped here. Vijayanagar Architecture style can be seen here. In Skandhapurana, Vyasa Maharshri discussed about this temple in detail.

Bhramaramba Devi Temple: Goddess Bhramaramba Devi is worshipped here. She is the incarnation of Goddess Parvati. It is the seat of Ashtadasa Mahasakthi Pithas. It is believed that this is the first sakthi of 18 sakthi Peethas. Temple is situated on the banks of River Krishna.

Hemareddy Mallareddy Temple: It is located half kilometre away from Mallikarjuna Temple. In 2010, it was constructed by Karnataka Veerashaiva Reddy Samaj. Adjacent to the temple an ashram can be seen.

Srisailam Sanctuary: This is other major attraction of this place. Area covered by this sanctuary is 3568Sq.Kms. Large variety of animals such as Pangolin, Jungle cat, Palm Civet, Sloth bear, Tiger, deer; Leopard etc can be seen here. It is dry delicious forest consists of Scrubs and bamboo thickets. Several Crocodiles are situated at down water of Srisailam dam.

Shikareswara Temple: It is believed that deity at this temple has a power to eradicate sins of the devotees. This temple is located at highest point of Srisailam. Best view of the town is possible from here.

Hathakesvara Temple: At this place Sri Sacharacharya wrote one of his Philosophical treaties. Lord Shiva idol is worshipped here.

Shakti Ganapati Temple: Lord Ganapati is worshipped here.

Srisailam Ropeway: It is located 1kms distance from Mallikarjuna temple. Pathala Ganga is a sacred place at back waters of River Krishna. To reach Pathala Ganga, visitors need to trek down around 500 steps from hanuman Temple. Ropeway is operating from Haritha Hotel to Pathala Ganga.

 

What to see around Srisailam:

Akka Mahadevi Caves: It is located 44kms away from Srisailam. In this dark deep end caves natural Shivalinga can be seen. Motor boats are used to reach this place. It is believed that Akka Mahadevi did penance at this place. Visitors reach this place through Ropeway.

Mallela Theertham: It is located at 50kms away from Srisailam. This is the location of waterfalls. Visitors can reach the waterfalls after availing the muddy bumy road and 250 steps down the valley.

 

Getting to Srisailam: Srisailam is well connected with road. From Bangalore, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Pune, Jaipur etc buses come to this place. Srisailam do not have railway station. Nearest railway station is located at Kurnool which is 97kms away from Srisailam. Nearest airport is located at Hyderabad which is 232 kms away from Srisailam.

 

Getting around Srisailam: Taxis, Autos, Buses are available to visit the surrounding places of Srisailam.

 

Best time to visit Srisailam: Best time to visit Srisailam is in February, October, November and December.

 

Where to stay in Srisailam: Plenty of accommodations are available at this place including luxury hotels. Best hotels at this place are Punnami Srisailam, Haritha Srisailam, Gowri Sadan, Grand Akka Mahadevi Hotel, Akhila Bharata Redla Satram, Pathaleswara Sadanam.

 

Where to eat in Srisailam: Large number of restaurants is available at this place. Only vegetarian food is available at this place.

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Srikalahasti

Srikalahasti

AP, South India, Temple

April 102014

Srikalahasti is one of the holy places in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, India. This place is located near sacred place Tirupati. It is one of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalam of Lord Shiva. Srikalahasti is derived from the words Sri, kala and Hasti; Sri Means Spider, Kala means Serpent and Hasti means elephant. According to Hindu mythology, these 3 living creatures worshipped Lord Shiva at this place to attain salvation. Other name of this place is Dakshina Kailasam. South Indian Style, Dravidian Structural designs can be seen here.

 

What to see at Srikalahasti:

Srikalahasti Temple: Other name of this temple is Srikalahastiswara Swamy Temple. Lord Shiva is worshiped here. At this place Baktha Kannappa had given his eyes to Lord Shiva to stop the blood coming out from the Shiva lingam. In this temple complex, Vayu Deva Temple is situated. It is the only temple of Vayu (Wind) in India. This temple is carved out of a big hill. Gopuram is 120 feet height. Rajendra Cholas renovated this temple in 12th century.

Bhaktha Kannappa Temple: It is located at the east of Srikalahasti Temple. Place Baktha Kannappa had given his eyes to Lord Shiva to stop the blood coming out from the Shiva lingam. Due to his devotion towards God, he had given equal importance and placed here. First offering is made to Kannappa and then to Lord Shiva.

Durgambika Temple: It is one of the ancient temples at this town.

Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple: It is located at the centre of the town. Major festival is Aadi krithika festival which celebrates for 8days.

Thondamanadu Sri Venkateshwara Swamy Temple: From the main kalahasti temple it is located 10kms away. Lord Venkateshwara is worshipped here along with Padmavathi Ammavaru and Sri Lakshmi Devi.

Bharadwaja Tirtham: It is situated to the east of Srikalahasti Temple. It is believed that during krita Yuga, Maharishi Bharadwaja meditated at this place.

Chaturmukeshvara Temple: Lord Shiva worshipped here with 4 faces. Bas relief carvings can be seen here. Lord Shiva and Brahma were worshipped here. It is located on the hill top. Visitors need to climb 80 steps to reach this temple.

Prasanna Varadaraja Swami Temple: It is located near Srikalahasti Temple.

 

What to see around Srikalahasti:

Gudimallam: In Srikalahasti Mandal it is one of the historical temples which is located 37kms away from the town. It is located very near to Renigunta Railway station. Shiva Linga at this place discovered between 1st century and 2nd century BC. This lingam was installed in Parasurameswara Temple. People believed that Shiva Lingam in the temple is manifestation of Trimurthi, Brahma at the bottom, and Vishnu at middle and Shiva at the top.

Sahasra Linga Temple: Visitors can see 1000 Lingas within the shrine. It is located in the middle of the forest with hill as its backdrop. This is situated 10kms away from the town.

Veyilingala kona Waterfalls: It is located 8kms away from Srikalahasti. It is believed that this water is having the capacity to cure skin diseases.

Tirupati: This is the sacred place for Hindus. Lord Venkateswara is worshipped here. It is located 36kms away from Srikalahasti.

Talakona Waterfalls: It is located 96kms away from this place. These are height waterfalls in the state whose height is 82m. In 1990 it was declared as biosphere reserve.

 

Getting to Srikalahasti: This place is well connected with road and railways. From all the major cities buses and trains come to this place. Nearest airport is located at Tirupati. From the airport plenty of call cabs, taxis are available to reach this place.

 

Getting around Srikalahasti: Buses, Taxis, call cabs are available to visit the surrounding places of the town.

 

Best time to visit Srikalahasti: Best time to visit this place is in February, March, October, November and December.

 

Where to stay in Srikalahasti: Plenty of accommodations are available at Srikalahasti. Best hotels are Hotel MGM Grand, Sri Sai Teja Residency, Ramas Residency, and Trinetra Guest House.

 

Where to eat in Srikalahasti: Several restaurants are available here to have food at this place. Predominantly vegetarian food is available here.

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Machilipatnam

Machilipatnam

AP, South India, Beach, History, Temple

April 102014

Machilipatnam is located in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Other name of this place is Bandar. History of this place dates back to 3rd century during the Satavahana Period. Earlier there was a gate way of fish eye at this place. East India Company built its first company at this place. Port at this place was used by Dutch, British and French people for trading purpose. This place is famous for Bandar Laddoo. This place is famous for Rold Gold Business in the name Chilapakapudi Bangaram.

 

What to see at Machilipatnam:

Panduranga Swamy Temple: Lord Panduranga Vithal is worshipped here. Idol of the god is seems like childhood appearance of Lord Krishna. Diamond studded crown can be seen here. In front of the Idol, Anjaneyaswamy statue is located. All the castes and community people are allowed to enter into the temple. During karthika masam period tourists rush is more. Around this temple 108 small temples are located with different shrines.

Sai Baba Temple: It is located at district court centre. Statue in front of the temple is the biggest statue in India. This is entered into Indian Book of Records as Tallest Saibaba Statue.

Anjaneya Swami Temple: It is located at Parasupet which was built by Samarth Ramadas, Guru of Chatrapathi Sivaji.

Jodugudulu Temple: It is located in Edepalli which is 150 years old temple. Velama Doralu built this temple during 17th century.

Machilipatnam Church: This is another attraction of this place. An English man constructed this church in 19th century.

Sivaganga Temple: It is maintaining by Challapallli Jameendars. It is located in Avanigadda road. It is believed that this temple was constructed by Gods during one night. When they were constructing one mandapa unable to complete as they left that place when sun is about to rise. Till today this mandapa is unable to construct.

Other temples in Machilipatnam: Other temples in Machilipatnam are Sri Viratwakarma Temple, Sri Ventakeswara Swamy Temple Bachhupeta, and Bhadradri Ramulavari Temple Main road.

 

What to see around Machilipatnam:

Kuchipudi: Kuchipudi is famous for Indian classical Dance. This is the birth place of Kuchipudi Nuchyam. It is located 25kms away from Machilipatnam.

Pedana: It is located 3kms away from Machilipatnam. This place is famous for Kalankari fabrics.

Manginapudi Beach: Unlike other beaches this beach is made up of black soil. Earlier this place was acted as a port. It is located 11kms away from the town. Krishna Utsav celebrates grandly at this place during February or March. Pilgrims take a dip at this sea.

Dattashram: Earlier it was old Lord Shiva temple. Now it was renovated. Due to sanctification of 9 wells just like Rameswaram, this place is known as Datta Rameswaram. It is located near beach.

Light House: it is located near Beach. Height is 50m. Construction started in 1982 and completed in 1984.

Gantasala: It is located 21kms away from Bandar. Old Buddhist Stupas can be seen here.

Agastheeswara Temple: It is located 36kms away from Bandar. Major attraction of this place is Lord Shiva temple. Lord Shiva worshipped here in the name of Ekaratri Mallikarjunaswamy.

Gudivada: It is located 36kms away from Machiliapatnam. Several old ruins Buddhist stupas can be seen here.

 

Getting to Machilipatnam: This place is well connected with road and railways. Nearest airport is located at Vijayawada. From Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Gudivada, Shirdi, Rajahmundry, etc buses come to this place. From Yeshwantpur, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam etc trains come to this place.

 

Getting around Machilipatnam: Both government run and private buses, Autos, taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Machilipatnam.

 

Best time to visit Machilipatnam: Machilipatnam welcomes the tourists throughout the year. Summer is too hot. Though summer is hot several tourists come to this place to enjoy the beach environment.

 

Where to stay in Machilipatnam: Only budget and midrange hotels are available to stay at this place. Best hotels are Eswar Residency, Apsara Lodge, Vijaya Raghava Residency.

 

Where to eat in Machilipatnam: Restaurants at this place are limited. This place is famous for Bandar Laddoo and Bandar Halwa. Best restaurant are RK Family Restaurant, Heavens A/C family restaurant, Vani Hotel.

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Nellore

Nellore

AP, South India, History, Temple

April 102014

Nellore is a city and municipal corporation in Andhra Pradesh, India. Nellore word is the combination of two Tamil Words i.e. Nel and Ooru. Nel which means Paddy and Ooru means Place. In Andhra Pradesh it is 6th most populous city. Ancient name of city is Vikrama Simhapuri. It is situated on the banks of river Penneru. Main production of this place is Paddy, aquaculture, lemon, Gold Jewellery, Mica.

 

Mauran influence is more at this place. During 3rd century it was the part of Ashoka Empire. Between 4th to 6th century AD this place was ruled by Pallavas Empire. Then till 13th century this place was under the control of Chola Kings. After that it was came under the control of Britishers. From this place itself, Potti Sriramulu fasted for the formation of Andhra Pradesh till his death. He was a Telugu activist, Gandhian and Freedom Fighter.

 

What to see at Nellore:

Ranganatha Temple: This is 600 years old temple. Height of this temple is 12meters. Ratha Yatra festival celebrates so grandly at this place. At that time thousands of devotees come to this place. Along with large mirrors, there are seven gold pots within the temple. Temple is located on the banks of river Pennar. Garbhodakasayi Vishnu is worshipped here. Idol rests on a seat called Anantha Shesha. On the chest of the idol lotus flower can be seen. Goddess Lakshmi is seated on that lotus flower. In this temple complex 4 handed incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi can also be seen in the name of Ranganayaki Devi. Temple was constructed in 1070 AD.

Krishna Mandir: This temple is located in Vedayapalem Road in Nellore. It is the largest temple in the town. Other shrines of the temple are Karya Siddhi, Ashta Lakshmi, Dattatreya and Ganesha.

 

What to see around Nellore:

Venkatagiri Fort: It is located 2kms away from Nellore Railway station. This fort was built in 1883 AD. Front portion of the fort is named as Indra Mahal.

Penchalakona: It is located 10kms away from Nellore. Lord Narasimha Swamy temple is most famous at this place. Temple is located on Veda Giri Hills. People believed that temple was constructed at the place where Lord Ventakeswara kept his feet.

Jonnawada: It is located 15kms away from Nellore. In India, it is one of the pilgrim places. One of the two Kamakshi Temples of India is located here. This temple was built in 1150 AD. Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy and Goddess Kamakshamma worshipped here. Goddess Kamakshi is considered as incarnation of Shakti. 10 days festival celebrates her for Goddess Kamakshi. Single stone used in the construction of some parts of the temple such as Gopuram.

 

Other attractions near Nellore: Other attractions near Nellore are Nellapattu Sanctuary, Sri Venkaiah Swamy Temple Golagamudi.

 

Getting to Nellore: Nellore is well connected with road and railways. From Kavali, Purini, Batra Kagollu, Veguru, Chennai etc buses come to this place. From Hyderabad, Howrah, Chennai, New Delhi Trains come to this place. Nearest airport is located at Chennai. Airport is well connected with Kochi, Jaipur, Indore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Bhopal and Bangalore.

 

Getting around Nellore: Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Nellore.

 

Best time to visit Nellore: Best time to visit this place is on February, October, November and December. Summer is too hot at this place.

 

Where to stay in Nellore: Plenty of hotels starting from budget to luxury hotels are available to stay at this place. Best hotels at this place are Abhiram Hotel, Murali Krishna Hotel, Leo Hotel, and Simhapuri Hotel.

 

Where to eat in Nellore: Plenty of restaurants are available at this place. Best restaurants are Wangs Chicken, Baba Samosa, Srinivasa Hotel, Balaji restaurant.

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Samarlakota

Samarlakota

AP, South India, Architecture, History, Temple

April 102014

Samarlakota is a town and Mandal in Andhra Pradesh, India. This mandal consists of 18 villages. It is situated at Kakinada Rural. Major attraction of this place is Sri Chalukya Kumararama Sri Bhimeshwaraswamy Vari Temple. Several industries such as RAK Ceramic India Private Limited, Servomax India Limited, 220 MW Power Project Owned by Reliance Energy Limited, Gautami Power Ltd – GVK Group , Orient Ceramics India Limited are situated here.

 

What to see at Samarlakota:

Sri Chalukya Kumararama Sri Bhimeswara Swamy Temple: Lord Sri Bhimeswara Swamy is worshipped here. He is the incarnation of lord Shiva. Maha Sivarathri festival celebrates so grandly at this place. Chalukyas built this temple. Construction of this temple started in 892 and ended in 922. Architecture of this temple is similar to that of Draksharamam Temple. Construction style of this temple is so excellent. It has two storied Mandapas.

Dravidian style of architecture can be seen on this temple. Linga is a limestone. Height is 14 feet. King Chalukya Bhima constructed this temple. Pillars of this temple are well decorated and polished with the work of Chalaukas. Recently some of the excavations found at this temple. These are dates back to 1000 years. In the puranas it was stated that Persons who has yogam to visit god will visit this place. It is one of the Pancharamas.

 

What to see around Samarlakota:

Shri Bhavanarayana Swamy Temple: Lord Bhavanarayana Swamy is worshipped here. He is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is located 16kms from Samarlakota. It is believed that sages such as Agastya and Vyasa came to this place.

Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary: It is located 28kms away from Samarlakota. This is situated near backwaters of the sea. Sanctuary is home to endangered animals such as crocodiles, fishing cats, sea turtles. 35 varieties of mangrove plants can be seen here. Large variety of birds can also be seen here.

Pithapuram: It is located 13kms away from Samarlakota. This is one of the oldest pilgrim places. Major attractions of this place are ancient Padagya Kshthram, Sri Venu Gopala Swamy temple, Kunthimadhava Swamy Temple, Sri Pada Vallabha Anaagha Datha Kshethram, Sri Kukkuteshwara Swamy Temples. This town is poplularly known as one of the twelve piligrim centres of India, one of the Asta Data Sakthi Petas and one of the 5 Madava Keshatras.

Draksharamam: This place is well known as Dakshina Kashi. 4 entrance gates to the temple. Lord Shiva is worshipped here. On the walls and Pillars of the temple several mythological figures are carved. Chola and Chalukya architecture styles can be seen on the temple. It is located 42kms away from Samarlakota.

Adurru: Several excavated monuments found at this place. Archaeology department started excavations at this place in 1953. They found ruins of Chaityas, Viharas and Buddhist Stupas. Major attraction is Mahastupa which is 17feet in diameter. Artefacts such as bowls of Kaolin, troughs, Jars , dishes also found at this place. It is located 86kms away from Samarlakota.

Other attractions near Samarlakota: Other attractions near Samarlakota are Kakinada Port Kakinada Uppada Beach, Konaseema, Rajiv Gandhi Beach, Hope Island, Annavaram Satyanarayana Swamy Temple, and Rajahmundry.

 

Getting to Samarlakota: one way to reach this place is by road. This place also is reached by railways.From Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Rajahmundry buses and trains come to this place. Nearest railway head is located at Kakinada. Nearest domestic airport is located at Rajahmundry which is well connected with Hyderabad. Nearest international airport is located at Vishakhapatnam.

 

Getting around Samarlakota: Buses and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Samarlakota.

 

Best time to visit Samarlakota: Samarlakota welcome the tourists throughout the year.

 

Where to stay in Samarlakota: Only budget and midrange hotels are available here. Plenty of accommodations are available at Kakinada.

 

Where to eat in Samarlakota: Several eateries and restaurants are available at this place.

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Kakinada

Kakinada

AP, South India, Beach, Temple

April 102014

Kakinada is a city in Andhra Pradesh, India. Other name of this city is Fertiliser city and second Madras. This place is also known as Pensioners Paradise as pleasant environment at this attracting several retired people and old aged people. This place is famous for several industries such as Bio fuel Plants, Edible oil refineries, Power Generation, Natural Gas and Petroleum, Fertilizer.

In the history this place was ruled by Nandi Kings. After that Britishers ruled the place. Before Britishers, Dutch people settled at this place. At the time of Britishers this place was known as Cocanada. After independence name was changed into Kakinada.

 

What to see at Kakinada:

Shri Bhavanarayana Swamy Temple: Lord Bhavanarayana Swamy is worshipped here. He is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is located at Sarpavanam Junction. It is believed that sages such as Agastya and Vyasa came to this place.

Kakinada Port: It is the home to two ports deep water port and anchorage Port. It is second largest in the state. Kakinada exports include oil meals, corn, rice, bauxite powder etc.

Other attractions of Kakinada: Other attractions of Kakinada are Jain Temple, Lord Shiva Temple, Kakinada Uppada Beach, Sree Veerabrahmendra Swamy Temple.

 

What to see around Kakinada:

Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary: It is located 5kms away from Kakinada. This is situated near backwaters of the sea. Sanctuary is home to endangered animals such as crocodiles, fishing cats, sea turtles. 35 varieties of mangrove plants can be seen here. Large variety of birds can also be seen here.

Bhimeswara Swamy Temple: It is located 10kms away from Kakinada in Samarlakota. Lord Shiva is worshipped here. Temple is in rectangular shape. On the west side of the temple monolithic pillar can be seen. Architecture looks like the architecture of Drakshraramam.

Pithapuram: It is located 20kms away from Kakinada. This is one of the oldest pilgrim place. Major attractions of this place are ancient Padagya Kshthram, Sri Venu Gopala Swamy temple, Kunthimadhava Swamy Temple, Sri Pada Vallabha Anaagha Datha Kshethram, Sri Kukkuteshwara Swamy Temples. This town is popularly known as one of the twelve pilgrim centers of India, one of the Asta Data Sakthi Petas and one of the 5 Madava Keshatras.

Draksharamam: This place is well known as Dakshina Kashi. 4 entrance gates to the temple. Lord Shiva is worshiped here. On the walls and Pillars of the temple several mythological figures are carved. Chola and Chalukya architecture styles can be seen on the temple.

Adurru: Several excavated monuments found at this place. Archaeology department started excavations at this place in 1953. They found ruins of Chaityas, Viharas and Buddhist Stupas. Major attraction is Mahastupa which is 17feet in diameter. Artefacts such as bowls of Kaolin, troughs, Jars , dishes also found at this place. It is located 72kms away from Kakinada.

Other attractiosn near Kakinada: Other attractions near Kakinada are Konaseema, Rajiv Gandhi Beach, Hope Island, Annavaram Satyanarayana Swamy Temple (40kms), Tholi Thirupathi Sri Srungara Vallaba Swamy Temple at Divili village (40kms).

 

Getting to Kakinada: Kakinada is well connected with road and railways. From all the major cities buses and trains come to this place. Nearest domestic airport is located at Rajhamundry which is well connected with Hyderabad. Nearest international airport is located at Visakhapatnam.

 

Getting around Kakinada: Autos and Buses are available to see the places of Kakinada. Taxis, Private vehicles and Buses are available to visit the surrounding places of Kakinada.

 

Best time to visit Kakinada: Best time to visit this place is in summer, though tourists visit this place throughout the year. To have beach enjoyment summer is the best time.

 

Where to stay at Kakinada: Plenty of accommodations starting from Budget to luxury hotels are available to stay at this place. Best hotels are Best Western SVN Grand, Paradigm Sarovar Portico, Royal Park Hotel, Decent Residency etc.

 

What to eat at Kakinada: This place is famous for traditional Andhra Cuisines including pickles made from fish, mutton, chicken, vegetables, Mangoes etc. Dried Fish and Shrimps are also famous at this place. Kakinada Kaaja is well known at this place. Udupi restaurants are also famous at this place.

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Kurnool

Kurnool

AP, South India, Architecture, Caves, History, Jyothirlinga, Temple, Wildlife Sanctuary

April 102014

Kurnool District is located in Andhra Pradesh, India. Name of this place is named after the Telugu word Kandanavolu. It is the gateway to Rayalaseema. Between 1st October 1953 to 31st October 1956 this place acted as capital of Andhra Pradesh. This place is having archaeological significance. This is situated on the banks of River Tungabhadra and Handri. Sri Krishnadevaraya , Hindu King, influence is more at this place. Aurangazeb and Nizams also ruled this place. After independence Kurnool city was first ruled by Alaf Khan Bahadur.

 

What to see at Kurnool:

Birla Mandir: It is located on the hill named Naubath Pahad. Lord Venkateswara is worshipped here. From this temple complex, visitors can see the temple of Birla Mandir of Secunderabad.

Srisailam Dam: Construction of this dam started in 1960 completed in 1981. It is one of the 12 largest hydroelectric Projects of India. Dam was built on River Krishna.

Belum Caves: These are situated in Belum village of Kurnool. In India these caves are 2nd largest caves. Natural art work can be seen here at these caves. Major attractions of these caves are Banyan tree, Meditation Hall, Mandapam, Patalaganga, simhadwaram, Musical Chamber.

Mahanandi : Major attraction of this village is Mahanandiswara Swamy Temple. Temple is dates back to Chalukyan Period. Lord Mahanandiswara, who was the incarnation of Lord Shiva, is worshipped here. It is one of the 9 Nandi’s.

Bharmaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple: It is situated in Srisalam. Lord Mallikarjuna incarnation of Lord Shiva is worshipped here. Bhramara means bee. It is believed that Goddess Parvati Worships Lord Mallikarjuna in the form of bee. It is one of the 12 jyothirlinga temple.

Rollapadu Bird Sanctuary: It is dry thorny forest. This is covered with groundnut, cereal crops, Castor and Cotton. Major attractions of this place are Indian bustards, Indian cobras, wolves, Jackals etc.

Saibaba Temple: In India this one of the biggest saibaba’s temples. Marble stone used for the idol of Saibaba. Temple is having the meditation hall having the capacity of 800 devotees.

Nallamala hills: It is the part of Eastern Ghats. These hills cover Mahabubnagar, Prakasam, Kurnool, Kadapa, Guntur districts. Near this hill Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Sanctuary is located.

Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife sanctuary: This sanctuary situated in both Prakasam and Kurnool districts. May and October are the best times to see this place. Major attractions are Pythons, Chinkara, Panthers etc.

Other attractions of Kurnool: Other attractions of Kurnool are Nagarjuna Srisailam Sanctuary, Kurnool Fort, Peta Anjaneyaswami Temple, Yaganti Shiva Temple, Tomb of Abdul Wahab, Adoni.

 

What to see around Kurnool:

Prakasam: construction of several stupas can be seen here ad Buddhism flourish in this region. Several kings such as Mauryas, Qutub Shahis, Vijayanagar Kings ruled this place. Major attractions of this district are Singarayakonda, Chirala, Motupalli, Chandavaram, Tripuantakam, Markapur etc.

Anantapur: It is other boundary of Kurnool district. Major attractions of this district are Penna Ahobilam, Veerabhadra Temple, Bugga Ramalingeswara Swami temple, Penukonda Fort, Raidurga fort, Sri Kadiri Lakshmi Narayana temple, Ravadurg Gooty Fort.

 

Getting to Kurnool: Kurnool is well connected with road and railways. From Hyderabad, Chitoor, Anantapur etc buses come to this place. Kurnool railways are well connected with all the major cities. Nearest airport is located at Hyderabad.

 

Getting around Kurnool: Autos, Taxis, buses are available to visit the surrounding places of Kurnool.

 

Best time to vast Kurnool: Best time to visit this place is between February and December.

 

Where to stay at Kurnool: Plenty of accommodations are available to stay at this place including luxury hotels. Best hotels are Rajshri Hotel, Rajasthan hotel, Rajhans International, Bhavana International.

 

Where to eat in Kurnool: Eateries and restaurants are plenty at this place. This place is well known for non vegetarian food.

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Amaravati

Amaravati

AP, South India, Buddhist Stupas, History, Temple

April 102014

Amaravati is located in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Other name of this place is Dharanikota. This place is situated on the banks of river Krishna. Earlier this place was acted as capital of Andhra Satavahanas. Satavahanas ruled this place between 2nd century BCE to 3rd Century CE. After Sathavahanas, Krishna river valley was ruled by Andhra Ikshvakus, Pallava Kings, Eastern Chaulukyas and Telugu Cholas. Navaratri and Mahashivaratri are the major festivals of this place.

 

What to see in Amaravati:

Amaravati Temple: This is the major attraction of Amaravati. Lord Shiva is worshipped here. This temple is one of the Pancharamas. Temple consists of lot of inscription. All these inscriptions give information about the kings who ruled over the area. Lord Shiva of this place is known as Amarlingeswara.

The Stupa: Stupa is another major attraction of Amaravati. This was the site of great Buddhist Stupa. It was constructed during the reign of emperor Ashoka. Carved Panels on the stupa tells the story of life of Buddha. This stupa was completed in 200 CE. 2nd century BCE ancient sculptures found here. This stupa is buried under rubble after the decline of Buddhism.

Amaravati School: In the history of Indian Art, Amaravati school of Art occupies a pre-eminent position. Mahachaitya the majestic monument of the Buddhists situated here.

 

What to see around Amaravati:

Undavalli Caves: These caves are located in Undavalli which is 9kms away from Vijayawada and 30kms away from Amaravati. These caves belong to 4th and 5th century. Of all the caves, largest cave is 4 storied. At this cave single block of Granite statue of Lord Vishnu can be seen here.

Kondapalli Fort: This is major attraction of this place. Other name of this fort is Circar Mustafanagar. During 14th century this fort was built by Prolaya Vema Reddy of kodaveedu. Several rulers occupied this fort namely Krishna devaraya of Vijayanagar, Gajapati rulers, Muslim Rulers of Qutubshahi dynasty. For this there are 3 gate ways. Main entrance gate is Dargha Darwaja. Granite was used in the construction of this fort. Major attraction of this Mahal is Tanisha Mahal. It is located 58kms away from Amaravati.

Kondapalli Forest: It is located 61kms away from Amaravati. Major attractions of this place are Wolves, Wild Boar, Jackals, Wild dogs, Leopards etc.

Mangalagiri: It is located 41kms away from Amaravati. This place is one of the 8 important Mahashetrams in India. Major attraction of this place is Sri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Temple. It is the oldest Vaishnavite Temple in entire south India.

Guntur: It is a centre of learning and administrative capital of Guntur district. It is located 32kms away from Amaravati.

Vijayawada: It is located 39kms away from this town. Major attractions of this place are Kanaka Durga Temple, Bhavani Island, Prakasham barrage, Mogalarajapuram Caves, Victoria Museum, Gandhi Hill.

 

Getting to Amaravati: Ways to reach this place is through road or by boat. Nearest railway stations are located at Vijayawada and Guntur. Vijayawada is well connected with all the major cities. Nearest airport is located at Vijayawada. This airport is well connected to Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam.

 

Getting around Amaravati: Autos are available to visit the places of Amaravati. Buses and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Amaravati.

 

Best time to visit Amaravati: Amaravati welcomes the tourists throughout the year. During the summer season, temperature is too hot. Best time to visit this place is between October to March.

 

Where to stay in Amaravati: Major hotels at this place are Budget and Midrange. Few Luxury hotels are also available. Best hotels in Amaravati are Grand Nagarjuna Hotel, Hotel Sindoori, RCR Orchid business hotel.

 

Where to eat in Amaravati: Plenty of restaurants are available in Amaravati. Majority of the hotels offer only vegetarian.

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Mangalagiri

Mangalagiri

AP, South India, History, Mahabharata, Temple

April 102014

Mangalagiri is a small town in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Word Mangalgiri means Holy hill. It is located 13kms away Vijayawada and 21kms away from Guntur. For long time this place was under the control of Golkonda Nawabs.

 

What to see at Mangalgiri: This place is famous for Sri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy Temple. This temple was situated on the hill. Foot Steps of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu can be seen here. On the right side steps of the temple Sri Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagam stone inscription can be seen. Temple of Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy is at the midway of the steps. At this temple one can find only the face of the Lord with open mouth. On the upside of the Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy Temple, Sri Lakshmi temple can be seen. At this temple, visitors of this place find the caves. It is believed that these caves lead to Undavalli Caves.

 

Shape of the hill is like an elephant. According to the Hindu legends, son of Hrasva Srungi took the shape of elephant at this place when Hrasva Srungi asked to come back to his kingdom while he was doing penance to Lord Vishnu at this place. There will be no statue at this temple. But only wide opened mouth with 15cms. Devotes pour jiggery water into the mouth of this hole. People believe that when they were pouring water at this hole if they were able to listen the sound from that hole then all their sins will wipe off. Temple remains close from afternoon onwards as it is believed that during the night time’s devatas will perform puja.

 

At the foot of the hill, tourists can see Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Temple. Main image of this temple was founded by Dharmaraja who was the elder brother of Pandavas. Height of this gopuram is heightest in south India. Kancheepuram architectural style can be seen at this temple.

 

What to see around Mangalagiri:

Undavalli Caves: These caves are located in Undavalli which is 10kms away from this town. These caves belong to 4th and 5th century. Of all the caves, largest cave is 4 storied. At this cave single block of Granite statue of Lord Vishnu can be seen here.

Guntur: It is a centre of learning and administrative capital of Guntur district. It is located 23kms away from Mangalagiri.

Amaravati: it is located 38kms from this town. This place is famous for Amareswara Temple. Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. At this place great Buddhist Stupa of Pre- Mauryan time. Other attraction of this place is Mahachaitya Stupa.

Vijayawada: It is located 13kms away from this town. Major attractions of this place are Kanaka Durga Temple, Bhavani Island, Prakasham barrage, Mogalarajapuram Caves, Victoria Museum, Gandhi Hill.

Kondapalli Fort: It is located 28kms away from this town. Tanisha Mahal is the major attraction of this fort. There are 3 entry gates to this fort.

 

Getting to Mangalagiri: Only way to reach this place is by road. From Guntur, Vijayawada, etc buses come to this place. Nearest railway station is located at Vijayawada. Vijayawada railway station is well connected with all the major cities of India. Nearest airport is located at Gannavaram. This airport is well connected to Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam.

 

Getting around Mangalagiri: Buses are available to go to Vijayawada and Guntur. From Vijayawada and Guntur, buses and taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Mangalagiri.

 

Best time to visit Mangalagiri: Best time to visit this place is between October to March. Summer at this place is too hot.

 

Where to stay at Mangalagiri: only budget hotels are available at this place. Generally tourists prefer to stay at Guntur or Vijayawada and visits this place.

 

Where to eat at Mangalagiri: Only few eateries are available at this place. Plenty of restaurants are available at Guntur and Vijayawada.

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Vijayawada

Vijayawada

AP, South India, Boating, Caves, History, Island, Mahabharata, Temple

April 102014

Vijayawada is a city in Andhra Pradesh, India. Other name of this place is Bezawada. In 639 there was a Buddhist Monastery. At this monastery Chinese Pilgrim Hiuen Tsang stayed here. During 7th century of Eastern Chaulukya there are 5 rock cut temples at this place.

 

What to see in Vijayawada:

Kanaka Durga Temple: This is the major attraction of this place. It is located on Indrakiladri Temple. Goddess Kanaka Durga is worshipped here. According to Hindu Mythology, King Arjun attained Pasupatha astra at this place. After attaining astra he constructed this temple. As per Veda this was Swayambhu Temple.

Bhavani Island: This is the best recreation spot at this place. This Island is one of the largest river Islands. Major attractions of this place are Manicured gardens, mangroves and Boating.

Prakasham barrage: Tourists who visits this place can have the best view of Krishna River. This barrage connect Krishna and Guntur district. Construction of this barrage started in 1852 ended in 1855.

Besant Road: This is the best place for shopping lovers. Modern eateries, restaurants, cinema halls can be seen here.

Mogalarajapuram Caves: These are famous for 5 rock cut sanctuaries. Sanctuaries dates back to 5th century.

Gundala Matha Shrine: This shrine is well known as Mary Matha Shrine. It is located on the top of the hill. Annual Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes celebrates so grandly at this place. This church consists of a museum. Collection of holy relic’s dates back to ancient period can be seen at this museum.

Lenin Statue: This statue symbolises the ideology of communism. Major attraction of this place is 25years old statue of Karl Marks.

Other attractions of Vijayawada: Other attractions of Vijayawada are Sri Nagarala Sri Maha Lakshmi Ammavaru Temple, Rajiv Gandhi Park, Marataka Rajarajeswari Temple, Gandhi Hill, Victoria Museum.

 

What to see around Vijayawada:

Undavalli Caves: These caves are located in Undavalli which is 9kms away from Vijayawada. These caves belong to 4th and 5th century. Of all the caves, largest cave is 4 storied. At this cave single block of Granite statue of Lord Vishnu can be seen here.

Kondapalli Fort: It is located 22kms away from Vijayawada in Kondapalli village. Tanisha Mahal is the major attraction of this fort. There are 3 entry gates to this fort.

Kondapalli Forest: It is located 32kms away from Vijayawada. Major attractions of this place are Wolves, Wild Boar, Jackals, Wild dogs, Leopards etc.

Mangalagiri: It is located 15kms away from Vijayawada. This place is one of the 8 important Mahashetrams in India. Major attraction of this place is Sri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Temple. It is the oldest Vaishnavite Temple in entire south India.

Amaravati: it is located 38kms from this city. This place is famous for Amareswara Temple. Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. At this place great Buddhist Stupa of Pre- Mauryan time. Other attraction of this place is Mahachaitya Stupa.

 

Getting to Vijayawada: Vijayawada is well connected with road, railways and airways. From all the major cities such as Hyderabad, Chennai, Tirupati, Chitoor, etc buses come to this place. Vijayawada is one of the major railway heads. From all the major cities trains come to this place. Airport is located 20kms away from city centre at Gannavaram. This airport is well connected to Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam.

 

Getting around Vijayawada: Buses, Autos are available to visit the places of Vijayawada. Buses and Private vehicles are available to visit the surrounding places of Vijayawada.

 

Best time to visit Vijayawada: Best time to visit this place is between October to March. Summer at this place is too hot.

 

Where to stay in Vijayawada: Plenty of hotels including luxury hotels are available to stay at Vijayawada. Apart from Hotels, resorts are also available to stay. Best hotels at this place are Haailand Resort, Continental Park Hotel, Manorama Hotel, Ilapuram Hotel.

 

Where to eat in Vijayawada: Plenty of restaurants are available to eat in Vijayawada. Best restaurants at this place are lotus Food City, Cross Roads, Sree Lakshmi Vilas Modern Cafe, Minerva Coffee shop.

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Adoni

Adoni

AP, South India, History, Masjid, Mughal, Ramayana, Temple

April 102014

Adoni is situated in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. This place is famous for town mills. During the British period, market yard of Adoni played a crucial role in the cotton business. Other name of this market is Grain Market of South India. At the time of Islamic rule this place was named as Adavani. Muslim rule came to an end in 1792 after the war between Tipu Sultan and British East India Company.

 

What to see at Adoni:

Adoni Fort: It is the major attraction of this place. This fort is dates back to 300 years ago. Fort is situated on rock granite hill. Every year thousands of people visit this fort. It had 12 sub forts. To reach Hampi and Bellary forts, this fort has secret tunnels.

Sri Mahayogi Laxmamma Avva Temple: This temple is dedicated to Mahayogi Laxmamma. She was also called as Avva. So the temple was named as Sri Mahayogi Laxmamma Avva Temple. Structure of this temple is so beautiful. Marble was used for the floor of the temple.
Jumma Masjid: This is best example for Islamic architecture style. Madu Qadiri builds this masjid in 1680. He was the Adil Shahi Governor. Crowd will be more on Friday’s.

Kamam Bavi: with the intension to provide water to local people of Adoni this was built by Siddi Masud Khan. He was the Governor of Adoni. This well was used for irrigation purpose also.

Ranamandala Konda: This is one of the attractions of Adoni. This temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. Ranamadala Konda is famous among bird watchers also. This konda is having Ramajal Lake. At this lake huge number of birds can be seen. It is believed that this was created by Lord Rama during their exile period to provide water to Goddess Sita when she was thirsty. He created by throwing arrow into the earth. Natives of this place still using this water for drinking purpose.

Venkanna Bavi: Venkanna Pant who was the Diwan of Siddi Masud Khan built this Bavi. Earlier this was the only source of drinking water to the local people.

Ranamandala Anjanaswamy Temple: This is one of the prominent places for Hindus. During the period of exile, Sri Rama stayed here for some time. At that time when demons were disturbing Lord Rama and Lord Anjaneya killed them.

 

What to see around Adoni:

Baichigeri Sai Baba Ashramam: It is located just 1kms away from Adoni. Major attraction of this place is 100ft Sthoopam. Devotees of Sai Baba and tourists visits this place for peace.

 

Mantralayam: It is one of the sacred places for Hindus. This place is famous for Raghavendra Swami Temple. Lakhs of devotees come to this place every year.

 

Getting to Adoni: Adoni is well connected with road and railways. From Mysore, Kurnool, Tirupathi, Bellary, Anantapur, Hyderabad etc buses come to this place. Adoni railway line is on Chennai Mumbai Railway line. From Kanyakumari, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahemdabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, etc trains come to this place. Nearest international airport is located at Hyderabad. Nearest domestic airport is located at Bellary which is 68kms away from Adoni.

 

Getting around Adoni: Buses are available to visit the surrounding places of Adoni.

 

Best time to visit Adoni: During the summer season, temperature is so hot. So generally people do visit this place during summer season. Heavy rainfall records at this place. Best time to visit this place is between November to February.

 

Where to stay at Adoni: only budget and midrange hotels are available at Adoni. Best hotels at this place are Rajshri Hotel, Srinivas Bhawan, Dwaraka Lodge, International lodge, Hotel Sreesakthi.

 

Where to eat in Adoni: Limited restaurants at this place. Best restaurants at Adoni are Blue Sky, Mizlala and Catit.

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Ahobilam

Ahobilam

AP, South India, Architecture, Temple

April 102014

Ahobilam is located in Allagadda Mandal in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. This place is located 40kms away from Nandyal. According to historical mythology, Lord Narasimha Killed Demon Hiranyakashipu, father of Prahlada at this place. This place is famous for beautiful temples. Ahobilam is divided into lower Ahobilam and Upper Ahobilam. This place is considered as one of the 108 Vaishnava Divydesams in India. At this place 9 temples dedicated to Lord Narsimha.

 

What to see at Ahobilam:

Bhargava Narasimha Swamy Temple: At this place Bhargava Rama performed penance. It is located at a distance of 2kms away from Lower Ahobilam.

Pavana Narashimha Swamy: It is located 6kms away from Upper Ahobilam. Other name of this temple is Prahalada Varada Sannidhi. Other attractions at this temple are Prahlada Mettu and Ugra Sthambham.

Jwala Narasimha Swamy temple: It is located on the hill. Name of this hill is Achalachaya Meru. This is located 4kms away from Upper Ahobilam. At this place fierce anger of the Lord reached its culmination when he tore Hiranyakasipu.

Malola Narasmhima Swamy Temple: It is located 2kms away from main temple of Ahobilam. At this place lord seems to be so peaceful. Lord can be seen along with Goddess Lakshmi. Malola means beloved to Lakshmi.

Karanja Narasimha Swamy Temple: It is locaed 1kms away from Upper Ahobilam. Other name of place is Karanja Vruksham as image of the shrine is installed under the tree.

Varaha Naramsimha Swamy Temple: It is located 1km away from upper Ahobilam. Lord can be seen along with Goddess Lakshmi. Face of the main deity looks like boar i.e. Varaha.

Ahobila Narasimha Swamy: It is situated at Upper Ahobilam which is 8kms away from Lower Ahobilam. This is the main temple of Ahobilam. Earlier all the 9 deities were situated here. People believed that Lord Narasimha was Svayambhu here. Lord looks so angry here. So, deity is also known as Ugra Narasimha.

Chatravata Narasimha Swamy: Image of the deity can he seem under the peepal tree. This image is surrounded by thorny bushes. It is located 3kms away from lower Ahobilam.

Yogananda Narasimha Swamy: After killing Hiramyakasipu, Lord thought several yogic postures to Prahalada. This place is located at a distance of 2kms from Lower Ahobilam.

Lower Ahobilam: This is dedicated to Prahlada Varada. Temple is surrounded by 3 Prakaras. Architecture of this temple is so beautiful.

 

What to see around Ahobilam:

Nandyal: This place is located 40kms away from Ahobilam. It is surrounded by 9 temples of Lord Shiva called Nava Nandi. Of all the Nava Nandis, most popular place is Mahanandi. Near Nanyal Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple can be seen. At this temple devotes can see World’s largest Nandi Idol.

 

Getting to Ahobilam: Only way to reach this place is by road. Regular buses are available from Nandyal, Kurnool and Hyderabad. Nearest place of Ahobilam is Allagadda which is 20kms away. From this place plenty of buses come to this place. Nearest railway station is located at Kodapuram which is 14kms away from Ahobilam. Nearest airport is located at Bangalore which is 172kms away from this place.

 

Getting around Ahobilam: Buses and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Ahobilam. Local private vehicles are the best way to visit the places of Ahobilam.

 

Best time to visit Ahobilam: It is essential to known the best time before visiting any place. This place welcomes the visitors throughout the year. But, weather in summer is too hot.

 

Where to stay at Ahobilam: Best accommodations are available to stay here but only budget and midrange hotels. Along with hotels some of the rooms will be given for rent to cook for themselves also. Cost of this rooms is ranging between Rs.1000 to Rs.1500 depend upon the season.

 

Where to eat in Ahobilam: Best eateries and restaurants are available at this place. As it is a pilgrim place hotels serve with vegetarian food.

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Madhubani

Madhubani

Bihar, North India, History, Palace, Ramayana, Temple

April 102014

Madhubani is a district in Bihar, India. Madhubani is derived from the word Madhuban which means Forest of honey. This place is famous for Madhubani Paintings. Madhubani City in this district is World’s second city who adopted democracy. It is centre for Maithili Culture. Madhubani art is 700 years old art. This was first commissioned by King Janak at wedding ceremony of his daughter Goddess Sita. Theme of these paintings includes nature, Hindu gods and Goddesses.

 

What to see at Madhubani:

Saurath: Somnath Mahadev Temple is major attraction of this place. Lord Shiva is worshipped here. Traditional gathering took place here. This gathering is known as Saurath Sabha Gachchhi. It is located 6kms away from Madhubani town.

Naulakha Palace: It was constructed by Maharaja Rameshwar Singh. At the entrance of this place, Durga Bhawan can be seen. A pond is situated before durga bhawan. On the north side of the pond Goddess Kali temple is situated. This palace is 7 storied towers. It is located in Rajnagar town of Madhubani district which is 17kms from Madhubani town.

Bhawanipur: It is located in Madhubani district which is located 5kms away from Pandaul Blcok headquarters. Ugaranath Temple is well known in this place. This temple is associated with renowned poet Vidyapati who was the devotee of Lord Shiva.

Kapileshwar Temple: It is located in Madhubani district. This temple is situated in Radhika Region of this district. Kapil Sage place Shiva Lingam at this place. To develop this place, Darbhanga Raj had taken the responsibility.

Ugna Temple: This temple is located in Bhawanipur Village of Madhubani district. It is located 14kms away from the town of Madhubani. At this place Kavi Vidyapati appeared along with Lord Shiva.

Uchhaitha: This village is located in Madhubani district. Bhagwati Temple is well known at this place. Temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga. It is believed that popular poet Kalidasa was blessed with Goddess Durga at this place. Temple is situated on the banks of River Thumne.

 

What to see around Madhubani:

Muzaffarpur: It is one of the gateways to Nepal. Muzaffarpur Attractions are Shri Ram Temple, Baba Garibnath Temple, Jubba Sahni Park, Khudi Ram Bose Memorial, Kali Mata Temple, Chaturbhuj Sthan Temple.

Supaul: Since Vedic period this district is part of Mithilanchal. Major attractions of this place are Chamunda Mai Sthan Temple, Radha Krishna Mandir of Madhepura, Durga Mandir of Gangapur, etc.

Darbhanga: It is one of the districts of Bihar. Major attraction of this place is Raj Darbhanga, Supaul Bazar, Pokhram Village.

 

Getting to Madhubani: This place is well connected with road and railways. Nearest airport is located at Guwahati. Guwahati is well connected with all the major cities of India. Taxis are available to reach Madhubani from the airport. Railway station of this place is directly connected with Darbhanga district. From Guwahati, Allahabad, Durgapur, Pune, Mumbai etc trains come to this place. From Lucknow, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Varanasi, Bokaro etc buses come to this place.

 

Getting around Madhubani: Buses and Taxis are available to visit the places of Madhubani district. Private vehicles, Call cabs, Buses are available to visit the surrounding places of Madhubani.

 

Best time to visit Madhubani: Best time to visit this place is in the months of October, November and December. Summer at this place is extremely hot and winter season is so dry.

 

Where to stay at Madhubani: Starting from Budget hotels till Luxury hotels are available here to stay at this place. Best hotels at this place are Sumant Hotel and Rajasthan hotel.

 

Where to eat in Madhubani: Plenty of restaurants are available here to eat at Madhubani. Most of the restaurants offer north Indian and south Indian cuisines.

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Muzaffarpur

Muzaffarpur

Bihar, North India, History, Mughal, Musuem, Temple

April 102014

Muzaffarpur is a city in Muzaffarpur district, Bihar, India. It is situated on the banks of river Burhi Gandak. It is one of the gateways to Nepal. Food grains and Clothes traded between Muzaffarpur and Nepal. In Northern Bihar it is the largest city. This place is named after Muzaffar Khan who was a revenue officer in the 8th century. Buddhist Viharas and Ancient sites can be seen here. Litchi Gardens is other attraction of this place.

 

What to see in Muzaffarpur:

Shri Ram Temple: It is one of the Navratna Temples. People believed that, Rajasthani artist established this temple. Lord Rama and Goddess Sitha are worshipped here. In this temple visitors can see Mahadev Shrine. This is the 3rd largest Shivalingam in India.

Baba Garibnath Temple: This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is known as second Baidyanath. It is believed that earlier at this place there was a banyan tree. At the time owner of the tree cutting the tree he found Shiva lingam. On that night he found Garibnath in his dream. Lord order to construct temple at this place. So he constructed this temple.

Jubba Sahni Park: This Park is named after freedom fighter Jubba Sahni. It was constructed by Hemchandra Shirohi in Mithanpura colony.

Khudi Ram Bose Memorial: It was constructed on the honour of Khudi Ram. He was arrested in 1908 for throwing the bomb on the British district.

Kali Mata Temple: Kali Mata Temple of Sikandarpur was constructed in 1932. Darbhanga Maharaj Kamlesh Singh constructed this temple.

Chaturbhuj Sthan Temple: Temple is dedicated to Lord Chaturbhuj. It is believed that idol of this lord found in Turki village later it was shifted to Muzaffarpur.

Ramna’s Tripur Sundari Temple: In 1941 this was constructed by shri Umashankar Prasad.

Simri Mai Temple: It is located very close to Muzaffarpur Engineering College. Goddess Bhagwati worshipped here. It is believed that an old lady used to meditate here during night time for long time. On the 17th day of Navarthi she took Samadhi here.

Ram Chandra Shahi Museum: This is located inside the premises of Jubba Sahni Park. Various art objects, artefacts, rare postage stamps can be seen here.

 

What to see around Muzaffarpur:

Rajkhand: From Aurai Block Headquarters it is located 5kms away from Muzaffarpur. Major attraction of this village is Old Bhairav Nath Temple. During Mahashivrathri Festival, annual cattle fair organises very grandly at this temple. Nearby attractions is Ramna Gurudwara, Badi Masjid at Company Bagh, Radha Krishna Temple, Hathilwa Math.

Katra Garh: It is located 35kms away from Muzaffarpur. At the time to Mughal period it was known as Akbarpur. At this site visitors can see several earthen pots, ornaments, important idols and other articles.

Ambara Chowk: It is located 34kms away from Muzaffarpur. This is the home to Amrapali who is the beautiful courtesan of Vaishali.

 

Getting to Muzaffarpur: Muzaffarpur is well connected with road and railways. From Faridabad, Jaipur, Nagpur, Lucknow, Kolkata, Dehradun, Hyderabad, etc buses come to this place. From Goa, Madurai, Pondicherry, Bangalore, Delhi etc trains come to this place. Muzaffarpur is also having airport facility. Nearest airport to Muzaffarpur is Patna which is 63kms away from the city.

 

Getting around Muzaffarpur: Plenty of buses and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Muzaffarpur.

 

Best time to visit Muzaffarpur: Best time to visit this place is in the months of February, October , November and December.

 

Where to stay at Muzaffarpur: Plenty of accommodations are available at this place. Best hotels of this place are Meenakshi international, Lichchavi Vihar Hotel, Hotel Atithi, Jyothi Hotel.

 

Where to eat in Muzaffarpur: Plenty of restaurants are available at this place. Best resturents are Frineds resturents, Bharat Jalan, Vaishali Pastry Shop, Kavery.

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Bhagalpur

Bhagalpur

Bihar, North India, Mahabharata, Rock Cut Temples, Temple

April 102014

Bhagalpur district is one of the districts of Bihar, India. Other name of this place is Silk City. Bhagalpur town is located at the centre of the district. District is situated on the banks of River Ganga. Bhagalpur is famous for Tussar Sarees and Tussar Silk. It serves as best educational centre of Bihar. From neighbouring states thousands of students comes to this place.

 

What to see at Bhagalpur:

Colganj Rock Cut Temples: These rock cut temples are dates back to 5th to 7th century. Temples belongs to Gupta Period. Plenty of Jain, Buddhist, and Hindu deity’s carvings can be seen on these temples. Remains of these structures discovered from Kahalagaon and Sultanganj of Bhagalpur district.

Vaasupujya Bhagwan Mahavir Jain Mandir: It is the birth place of 12th Jain Tirthankar Vasupujya. It is located 4kms away from Bhagalpur railway station. He had 5 kalyanas. All the marriages performed here.

Mandar Hills: These are located in Bhagalpur district. These hills are located 30kms away from Bhagalpur town. On this hill, foot prints of Lord Vishnu can be seen here. Other attraction of this place is lake at this peak. It is believed that Panchajanya (Conch Shell) used in Mahabharata War was discovered here. People also say that Lord Vishnu killed the demon Madhusudana at this place.

Ghuran Peer Baba: To seek the blessings of Peer Baba, people of different religion such as Christians, Parsi, Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus come to this place on every Friday. People believe that baba will bless with divine powers. It is located 2.2kms away from Bhagalpur town.

Budhanath Temple: This temple is located in Jogsar on the banks of river Ganga. Other name of this temple is Dudheshwar mahadev Temple. Lord Shiva is worshipped here. It was built in 17th century. In the month of August thousands of pilgrims come to this place and serves Lord Shiva with flowers, Gangajal, Bel and Milk. It is located 4.2kms away from Bhagalpur town.

Ancient Vikramsila University: This is located in the town of Vikramsila which is 38kms away from the Bhagalpur town. To teach Tantric Buddhism it is a best education centre. Dharmapala who was the king of Pala established this university. At this place along with 108 small temples, Confluence of Kosi and Ganga rivers can be seen here.

 

What to see around Bhagalpur:

Naugachia: It is located 29kms away from Bhagalpur town. This is situated on the banks of River Ganges. Naugachia is most popular for Yellow Maize.

Kahalgoan: It is located 32kms away from Bhagalpur town. This place is famous for centre of Buddhism learning. Students across the world come to this place.

 

Getting to Bhagalpur: Bhagalpur is well connected with road and railways. From all the major cities such as Gurgoan, Jaipur, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi etc trains come to this place. From Cuttack, Jamshedpur, Bhopal, Patna, Kolkata etc buses come to this place. Nearest airport is located at Patna which is 235kms away from Bhagalpur town. This is an international airport which is well connected with all the important cities of India.

 

Getting around Bhagalpur: Buses and taxis are available to visit the places within the district of Bhagalpur and around the places of Bhagalpur.

 

Best time to visit Bhagalpur: It is necessary for every tourist to known the best time to visit before visiting any place. Best time to visit this place is throughout the year.

 

Where to stay at Bhagalpur: Plenty of accommodations starting from budget to luxury hotels are available to stay at this place. Best hotels of the town Bhagalpur is Hotel Shiva International, Vineet Hotel, Mahavir Hotel, Sriyash Regency hotel, Sanan Hotel.

 

Where to eat in Bhagalpur: Plenty of restaurants are available to have food at Bhagalpur.

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Gaya

Gaya

Bihar, North India, Masjid, Temple

April 102014

Gaya is a city of ancient history located in Bihar, India. Major attractions of this city are narrow by lanes, old buildings natural surroundings. This is the sacred place to both Buddhists and Hindus. Gaya is named after the demon Gayasur. It is believed that body of Gayasura was transformed into series of rocky hills that make up the landscape of Gaya. This place is mentioned both in Mahabharata and Ramayana. It is believed that Lord Rama along with SIta and Lakshma travelled to this place after they kept Pindan to this father Dashrath.

 

What to see at Gaya:

Vishnupad Temple: This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Shikhara Style can be seen here. In 1787, this was constructed by Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore. It is believed that footprints inside the temple belong to Lord Vishnu.

Jama Masjid: In the Bihar state it is the largest Mosque. It is famous for Tabligh and Shabina.

Great Buddha Statue: This is associated with life of Lord Buddha. In 1989, XIV Dalai Lama installed this statue. In India this is the tallest Buddha statues. Red Granite and Sandstone blocks are used in the construction of this statue.

Gaya Pind Daan: This is a ritual performed by Hindus to free the spirits of their deceased ones. This will liberate them from bondage of the materialistic world. Lord Rama also had done Pind Daan at this place to his father.

 

What to see around Gaya:

Chinese Temple: Chinese Buddhist monks constructed this temple. Chinese architecture can be seen on this temple. It is decorated with excellent Chinese design. In 1997, this was renovated with 3 golden statues. It is located 13kms away from Gaya.

Barabar Caves: These are oldest Rock cut Caves in India. These caves belong to Mauryan Period of 3rd century BC. Barabar Caves Attractions are Vishwa Zopri caves, karan Chaupar caves, Sudama caves, Lomas Rishi caves. It is located 25kms away from Gaya.

The Bodhi Tree: During the first 7 days of enlightenment Buddha sat below this tree. Original tree was destroyed by several kings. Emperor Ashoka brought the descendent of original tree from Srilanka and taken so much care to protect this tree. It is located 13kms away from Gaya.

Mahabodhi Temple: This temple is dates back to 7th century. Ancient temple was destroyed during 11th century when Muslims invaded this place. Present structure was reconstructed in 1880. It is located 13kms away from Gaya.

Ajapala Nigrodha Tree: It is located in front of Mahabodhi Temple. It is believed that this was planted by a Shepherd Boy to protect Lord Buddha. It is located 13kms away from Gaya.

Royal Bhutan Monastery: It is located in Bodhgaya. King of Bhutan constructed this monastery.

Other attractions near Gaya: Other attractions near Gaya are Animesh Lochana Chaitya, Indosan Nippon Japanese Temple, Thai Monastery, Cankamana.

 

Getting to Gaya: Gaya is well connected with road ways, railways and airways. From Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad etc flights come to this place. From Allahabad, Varanasi, Bhubaneshwar, Jabalpur, Pune, Hyderabad, Patna, etc buses and trains come to this place.

 

Best time to visit Gaya: It is essential to know the best time before visiting any place. Best time to visit Gaya is between October to April.

 

Where to stay at Gaya: Plenty of hotels are available at Gaya. All range of hotels such as budget, midrange and luxury hotels are available to stay at Gaya. Best hotels at Gaya are Ajatashatru Hotel, Siddharth International, Palm Garden Hotel, Hotel Rose Valley.

 

Where to eat at Gaya: Plenty of restaurants are available at Gaya. Most popular items of this place are Kopal Ki Kofta, Sukhaota, Sattu ka Roti, Maruna ka roti, pittha, litti, litti Chhokha, sattu etc.

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Munger

Munger

Bihar, North India, Fort, History, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Temple, Wildlife Sanctuary

April 102014

Munger town is located in Munger district, Bihar, India. Other name of this place is Seat of Rule. This place is also mentioned in Mahabharata. It was the kingdom of King Karna. Munger Guns is having more than 200 years old history. Prominence for these guns started during the First World War period. Gupta emperors founded this town during 4th century.

 

What to see at Munger:

Munger Fort: This fort was under the control of Mohammed Bin Tughlaq between 1325 to 1351. Within the fort complex there are two hills namely Rectangular Mound and karnachaura. Fort was annexed by British, Mughals, Nawabs of Bengal, Lodis, Tughlaqs, Khiljis. Inside this fort, first Yoga University in the world is situated.

Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary: This sanctuary consists of hot water springs and dense forests. Major wildlife attractions of this place are Panther, Tiger, Nilgai, Chital, Wild Boar, Sambar.

Baptist Mission: This is famous for New Hindi Testaments. It was established in 1860. Baptist missionaries came to this place to translate the New Hindi Testaments and died during the course of work.

Tomb of Pir Shah Nufa: This tomb is dates back to 1177. It is situated at southern gate of Munger Fort. Every year, on 1st January music programme conducts at this place.

Haha Punch Kumari: It is a waterfall area. This is named after 5 daughters of Hindu Raja of Kharagpur.

Bihar School of Yoga: Swami Satyananda Saraswati established this Yoga centre in 1964 inside the Munger Fort. In the world this is the first yoga university. From Australia, UK and USA students come to this place.

Karnachaura: It is natural rocky hillock. Raja Karna constructed a house at the top of the hill.

Other attractions of Munger: Other attractions of Munger town are Rectangular Mound, Palace of Shah Shuja.

 

What to see around Munger:

Kharagpur Lake: It is located 3kms away from Munger. Maharaja of Darbhanga built this lake. This is located very near to 5 princess waterfalls. Hot springs is other attraction of this place.

Maruk Hill: It is situated 13kms away from the town. This is named after Maharukh Tree. Maruk hill is ideal picnic spot.

Sita kund: It is located in Munger district. This kund is surrounded by Shatrugan Kund, Bharat Kund and Lakshman Kund. People believed that Sita took bath at this place after she came out of the fire.

Rishi Kund: This is hot water spring. It is located 6kms away from Sita Kund.

Rameshwar Kund: This is also hot water spring which was dug accidentally by Muslim General.

Kastaharni Ghat: People believed that Lord Rama and Goddess Sita took bath at this place while they were returning to Ayodhya.

Other attractions near Munger: Other attractions near Munger are Bhimband, Pirpahar, Sri Krishna Vatika, Chandisthana, Manpathar, Shringirishi, Malnipahar.

 

Getting to Munger: Only way to reach this place is through road. From Raipur, Rourkela, Bokaro, Ranchi, Patna, Bangalore, Varanasi, Lucknow etc buses come to this place. Nearest railway station is located at Patna which is 136kms away from Munger.

 

Getting around Munger: Buses are available to visit the places of Munger. Buses and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Munger.

 

Best time to visit Munger: Best time to visit this place is between October to March.

 

Where to stay in Munger: Budget, midrange and luxury hotels are available to stay in Munger. Best hotels of this place are Sitariya Hotel, Rajhans Hotel, Raj palace hotel and Namita Hotel. Along with hotels, guest houses are available to stay at Munger.

 

Where to eat in Munger: Plenty of restaurants are available to eat at Munger. Best options to have food are in-house restaurants.

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Bihar

Bihar

Bihar, North India, Caves, Fort, History, Hot Springs, Musuem, Nature, Temple, Valley, Wildlife Sanctuary

April 102014

Bihar is 12th largest state in India. In Bihar, Lord Buddha Founded Buddhism. Lord Buddha spent most of his life time at this place. Mahatma Gandhi Setu is one of the longest bridges in the world.

 

What to see at Bihar:

Patna: It is the capital of Bihar which is situated on the southern banks of Ganges. Mahatma Gandhi Setu Bridge is located here. History of Patna dates back to 493 BC. Magadha Empire ruled at this place. Major attractions of Patna are Agam kuan, Har Mandir, Padri Ki Haveli, Patna Cementry, Golgarh, Patna Museum etc.

Munger: Major attractions of this place are Bihar school of Yoga, Madras Rahmania Islamic School.

Rajgir: This place is famous for several temples and monasteries. This place is associated with Lord Buddha. Jivekarmavan Monastery was the residence of Lord Buddha. This place is well known for hot water springs and Jain temples. Other attractions of this place are Venue Vana, Jarasandha’s Akhara, Ajatshatru’s Fort, Bimbisar’s jail.

Nalanda: Nalanda Attractions are Nalanda University, The Great Stupa, Nalanda Archaeological Museum, Hieun Tsang Memorial Hall.

Sasaram: Sasaram Attractions are Sher Shah Suri’s Tomb, Maa Tara Chandi Temple, Rock Cut Caves and Ashokan inscriptions.

Bihar Sharif: It is situated on the banks of River Panchanan. Plenty of pilgrim Muslim tombs can be seen here. It was served as capital of Pala dynasty. 5th century Muslim tombs, mosques and Gupta Pillar can be seen here. Major attractions of this place are Odantapuri, Tomb of Malik Ibrahim Vaya, Makhdum Shah Sharif ud din Mosque, Saint Mallik Ibrahim Bayu.

Muzaffarpur: Major attractions of this place are Sikandarpur Kali Temple, Baba Garib Stan, Rajeshwari Devi Temple, Ram Chandra Shahi museum etc

Bhagalpur: During 7th century it was the biggest trading market. Major attractions of this place are production of silk fabrics, Madhusudan temple, Colganj Temple.

Gaya: It is one of the tourist’s places of Bihar. This is the sacred place to Hindus. It is believed that at this place Lord Vishnu kept his foot on demon Gayasur to kill him.

Bodhgaya: Lord Buddha got enlightenment at this place. After the enlightenment of 250 years, Emperor Ashoka came to this place and founded Mahabodhi Temple.

 

What to see around Bihar:

Uttar Pradesh: It is the holy land of Rishikesh, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Haridwar. Tales of Rani of Jhansi is most famous. Major attractions of this place are Taj Mahal, Agra, Allahabad, Ayodhya, Corbett, Gangotri, Lucknow, Mussorie.

Madhya Pradesh: It is the largest state in India. At these place more than 1800 monuments says the stories of musicians, poets, saints, warriors, kingdoms, Empires of centuries old. Major attractions of this place are Bandhavgarh, Amarkantak, Bhojpur, Bhopal, Dhar, Chitrakoot, Chanderi, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur etc.

Orissa: Major attractions of this place are Konark, Gopalapur, Cuttack, Chilka Lake, Bhubaneshwar, Berhampur, Puri.

West Bengal: Major attractions of this place are Sunderbans, Shanti Niketan, Diamond Harbour, Siliguri, Darjiling, Calcutta, Bakreshwar.

Sikkim: Major attractions of this place are Yuksom, Lachung, Gangtok.

 

Getting to Bihar: Bihar is well connected with road ways, railways and airways. Some of the railway stations in Bihar are Abhaipur, Bansipur, Bhagwanpur, Chhapra, Labha, Tilaya, Wena, Sarai, Ismailpur etc. Airports in Bihar are Birsa Munda, Bokaro, Daltonganj, Darbhanga, Dhanbad, Gaya, Giridih, Jamshedpur, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Purnea, Raxaul etc.

 

Getting around Bihar: Buses and Taxis are available to visit the places of Bihar. Trains, buses and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Bihar.

 

Best time to visit Bihar: Bihar welcomes the tourists throughout the year.

 

Where to stay in Bihar: Plenty of accommodations are available to stay at various places of Bihar. Starting from Budget to Luxury hotels are available to stay at Bihar.

 

here to eat in Bihar: Plenty of restaurants are available to have food in Bihar. Major restaurants of Bihar are Bell pepper, Tan door Hut, Takshila, Siam Thai restaurants.

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Chaukhutia

Chaukhutia

Uttarakhand, North India, Hill station, History, Tea Garden, Temple, Trekking

April 102014

Chaukhutia is beautiful town in Almora district of Uttarakhand, India. Name is derived from Chau khut which means four feet that means four ways. First way is towards Ramnagar, Second way is towards Karanprayag, third way is towards Ranikhet and fourth way is towards Tadaktaal.
What to see in Chaukhutia:

Taragtal: This Lake is surrounded by dense green cover. It is best picnic and scenic beauty place for the tourists of this place.

Rudeshwar Mahadev Temple: Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. During Mahashivratri period devotees rush is more. This temple is located on the banks of River Ramganga.

 

What to see around Chaukhutia:

Pandukholi: It is located 5kms away from Chaukhutia. These are caves. It is believed that these caves were built by Pandavas during their stay in the Himalayas.

Lakhanpur Temple: Katyuri Kings built this temple. It is located 6kms away from Chaukhutia. Lakhanpur Fair is most famous at this temple. This fair celebrates in the month of October.

Dwarahat: It is located 18kms away from this town. Group of 55 ancient temples is the major attraction of this place. These temples were built by Katyuri Kings. Gujarati School of Art can be seen here. Dwarahat means way to heaven. People who visit this place will feel that they were in the premises of God.

Doonagiri: It is located 33kms from this town. Vaishno Devi Temple is the major attraction of this place. It is believed that when Lord Hanuman carrying Sanjeevani Parvath a piece of parvath falls here. So this place is named as Doonagiri.

Jaurasi: it is located 16kms away from this town. Major attractions of this place are herbs cultivation, ayurvedic herbs and Tea Gardens.

Karnaprayag: It is one of the Panch Prayag. It is situated at confluence of Pindar River and Alaknanda River. This is the religious site for Hindus. Journey of Ganga River starts from Karnaprayag plains. It is one of the best summer gateways. Goddess Uma Devi Temple is most attractive and ancient temple in this town. Karnaprayag Attractions are Uma Devi Temple, Karna Temple, Nauti Village, Adventure activities.

 

Getting to Chaukhutia: only way to reach this place is through road. From Kathgodam, Karnaprayag, Kasauni, Almora, Nainital etc buses come to this place. Nearest railway station is located at Kathgodam which is located 143kms away from this town. Buses and Taxis are available to reach Chaukhutia from Kathgodam railway station. Nearest airport is located at Pantnagar which is 112kms away from Chaukhutia.

 

Getting around Chaukhutia: It is a small town. One can explore this place on foot. Walking along the town is the best way to enjoy the natural beauty. Buses and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Chaukhutia.

 

Best time to visit Chaukhutia: Knowing the best time is essential before visiting any place. Visitors can enjoy cool time throughout the year. Snowfall is very common during the winter season. Best time to visit this place is between October to June.

 

Where to stay at Chaukhutia: Only few budget and midrange accommodations are available to stay at this town. Luxury accommodations cannot be seen here. Apart from the hotels forest rest houses are available here to stay.

 

Where to eat in Chaukhutia: Only few restaurants are available here to eat in Chaukhutia. All the restaurants provide only basic meals. Continental and Indian cuisines are available at these restaurants.

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Devprayag

Devprayag

Uttarakhand, North India, History, Nature, Panch Prayag, Temple

April 102014

Devprayag is a town in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, India. This is one of the Panch Prayags. In this place Bhagirathi and Alakananda Rivers meet and takes the name as River Ganga. Narsinghancal, Dashrathanchal Parvat, Giddhanchal Parvat are 3 godly peaks surrounds this place.

 

What to see at Devprayag:

Raghunath Temple: Temple is dedicated to Lord Rama. South Indian and Buddhist architectural styles can be seen on the walls of this temple. Temple was constructed by Raja Jagat Singh of kullu. Gold sheets can be seen on the inner walls of the temple. Life history of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama depicted on the walls of the temple.

Chandrabadani Temple: Temple is dedicated to Goddess of Power. Iron trishul and ancient statues of Goddess sati are placed outside the temple. Goddess Sati upper body is dropped accidently by Lord Shiva. Due to this her weapons were scattered at the spot.

Suspension Bridges: These bridges provide clear view of Devprayag. Bridges are laid over Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Rivers.

Kyunkaleshwar Mahadev Temple: This temple belongs to 8th century. Lord Shiva is worshipped here. Other shrines of this temple are Lord Kartikeya and Ganapati. From this place visitors can see snow clad Himalayan Peaks and entire town.

Dashrathshila Temple: It is believed that King Dashrath father of Lord Rama done penance at this place. Shrine is located on the banks of small water stream. This water stream is named after Shanta who was the daughter of King Dashratha.

Nakshatra Vedh Shala: Pt.Chankradhar Joshi established this astronomical observatory in 1946. Collection of 3000 manuscripts from various countries is kept at this place. These are dates back to 17th century.

 

What to see around Devprayag:

Shivpuri: It is located 55kms away from Devprayag. Lord Shiva’s temple is the major attraction of this place. River Rafting Sports are other attraction of this place.

Chamba: It is located 89kms away from Devprayag. This is a popular hill station situated 1676meters above the sea level which is surrounded by deodar trees and dense pine. A clear view of River Bhagirathi and Garhwal Ranges of Himalayas is possible from this place.

Rishikesh: This is the sacred place for the Hindus. It is located at the foothill of the lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here. People believe that visiting this place gives Mukthi after death. It is located 73kms away from Devprayag.

Rajaji National Park: It is located 92kms away from Devprayag. This park covers 3 district of Uttarakhand. Those 3 districts are Pauri Garhwal, Dehradun and Haridwar. Earlier there are 3 sanctuaries namely Rajaji, Motichur and Chilla. Now these are merged as one sanctuary with the name Rajaji National Park. Major fauna attractions of this park are Asian Elephant, leopard, Jungle Cat, Goral, Indian Hare etc. Major flora attractions of this place are acacia, dalbergia, bridelia, terminalia, Adina, Mallotus etc.

Haridwar: It is located 93kms away from Devprayag. This place is a gateway to God. Major attractions of this place are Vaisho Devi Temple, Shravanathji’s temple, Gaurishankar Mahadev Temple, Bharat Mata Mandir, Daksha Mahadev Temple, Mansa Devi Temple, Chandi Devi Temple, Sapt Rishi Ashram.

 

Getting to Devprayag: Devprayag is well connected with road ways. From Kotdwar, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri, Uttarkashi, etc buses come to this place. Nearest railway station is located at Rishikesh which is 71kms away from Devprayag. Nearest airport is located at Dehradun which is 91kms away from Devprayag.

 

Getting around Devprayag: Devpragay is a small town. This can be explored on foot. Buses and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding places of Devprayag.

 

Best time to visit Devprayag: Best time to visit this place is between January to June and October to December.

 

Where to stay in Devprayag: Accommodations are available here to stay for the visitors of this place. Lodges, motels, resorts, hotels are available to stay in Devprayag. Yoga sessions conduct every morning in the accommodations of Devprayag.

 

Where to eat in Devprayag: In house restaurants of hotels is the best option to have food. Mainly vegetarian food is available here.

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Tehri Garhwal

Tehri Garhwal

Uttarakhand, North India, Nature, Panch Prayag, Temple, Trekking

April 102014

Tehri Garhwal is one of the largest districts of Uttarakhand. Name of this district is derived from the word Trihari. Meaning of Trihari is the place which observes 3 sins evolving out of Mansa, Vacha and Karmana. The Word Garh means Fort. Prior to 9th century there are 52 different forts are placed here. This princely state becomes the part of India in 1949.

 

What to see at Tehri Garhwal:

Uttarkashi: It is located on the banks of river Bhagrathi. It is the home to plenty of temples and Ashrams. Uttarkashi Attractions are Vishwanath Temple, Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Shakti Temple, Adventurous sports.

Kanatal: This place was named after this lake. It is a hill station near Mussoorie. Kanatal Attractions are Surkanda Devi Temple, Kodia Jungle, Trekking, Verdant forests, Landscape.

Dhanaulti: It is located 12kms away from Kanatal. This place is famous for winter cool breezes. Major attractions of this pale are fruit orchards, Pony rides and treks. This is one of the best places for natural lovers.

Tehri Dam: This was constructed at the place where Bhilangna and Bhagirathi Rivers Confluence. It is located at New Tehri. Visitors can also see various kinds of flowers and fruits at new Tehri. These flower and fruit plants can be seen in Pant Research institute. It is located 12kms away from Kanatal.

Badrinath: It is the holy town. Major attraction of this town is Badrinath Temple. Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Badrinath Attractions are Badrinath Temple, Tapt Kund, Surya Kund, Charanpaduka, Brahma Kapal, Narada Kund.

Narendranagar: Narendra Nagar Attractions are Nandi Bull, Radha Krishna Mandir, Ananda Spa, Odathali, Viceregal Palace.

Devaprayag: It is one of the Panchprayags. This place is famous for 10,000 years old Raghunathji Temple and confluence of River Bhagirathi and Alaknanda.

Khatling Glacier: This glacier has popular destinations from Ghuttu.

Ghuttu: This is one of the best places for natural lovers. It is the base camp of treks to Masar Tal, Khatling Glacier and Panwalikantha.

Buda Kedar: This place is famous for temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which is 59kms away from Tehri town.

Sem Mukhem Temple: Temple is dedicated to Nag Raja.

Gautam Rishi’s Temple: It is located 8kms away from Tehri town. Temple is dedicated to Gautam Rishi.

 

What to see around Tehri Garhwal:

Chamba: It is located 18kms away from Tehri Garhwal. This is a popular hill station situated 1676meters above the sea level which is surrounded by deodar trees and dense pine. A clear view of River Bhagirathi and Garhwal Ranges of Himalayas is possible from this place.

Rishikesh: This is the sacred place for the Hindus. It is located at the foothill of the lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here. People believe that visiting this place gives Mukthi after death.

Haridwar: It is located 39kms away from Narendra Nagar. This place is a gateway to God. Major attractions of this place are Vaisho Devi Temple, Shravanathji’s temple, Gaurishankar Mahadev Temple, Bharat Mata Mandir, Daksha Mahadev Temple, Mansa Devi Temple, Chandi Devi Temple, Sapt Rishi Ashram.

 

Getting to Tehri Garhwal: Only way to reach this place is through road way. From Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Agra, Amritsar, Jammu etc buses come to this place. Nearest railway station is located at Haridwar which is 52kms away from Tehri Garhwal. Nearest airport is located at Dehradun.

 

Getting around Tehri Garhwal: Buses and Taxis are available to visit the surrounding place of Tehri Garhwal.

 

Best time to visit Tehri Garhwal: Tehri Garhwal visits the tourists throughout the year.

 

Where to stay in Tehri Garhwal: Plenty of accommodations are available at Tehri Garhwal including luxury hotels. Apart from hotels plenty of resorts, guest houses, Dharmasalas are also available.

 

Where to eat in Tehri Garhwal: Plenty of eateries and small restaurants are available here. Most parts of Tehri serve only vegetarian food.

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Hemkund Sahib

Hemkund Sahib

Uttarakhand, North India, Chamoli district, History, Nature, Ramayana, Temple, Trekking, Water falls

April 102014

Hemkund Sahib is a pilgrim place for Sikhs. It is located at Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India. Other name of this place is Gurudwara Sri Hemunt Sahib Ji.

 

What to see at Hemkund Sahib: This Gurudwara is dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh Ji. He is the 10th Sikh guru. Seven mountain peaks and glacial lake surrounds this Gurudwara. Design and architecture of this Gurudwara is the major attraction of this place. In the trekking season lakhs of people visits this place. Snow fall is heavy at this place. Every year thousands of people are becoming sick due to lack of awareness regarding altitude sickness. Best care should be taken to visit this place. Trekking is other attraction of the trip. During trip to this Gurudwara through trekking visitors can enjoy crystal clear lake, spectacular view of Himalayas, dense forests, numerous waterfalls. Weather at this place changes very fastly. In the Sikhs community, this gurudwara is highest Gurudwara of Sikhs. Shape of this Gurudwara is in star shape. Concrete Masonry and stones were used to construct this gurudwara. Sports festival celebrates during February – March every year.

Hemkund Lake: Reflection of Saptashringa peaks is so beautiful.

Lakshman Temple: Other name of this temple is Lokpal Temple. It is believed that at this place Lakshman meditated here. He feels ill at this place when he was fighting with Meghnad.

 

What to see around Hemkund Sahib:

Gobindghat: Pilgrimage of Hemkund Sahib Starts from this ghat. It is located between Badrinath and Joshimath. This is 5kms away from Hemkund. Because of steep gradient journey is quite arduous. Trekking from this place to Hemkund, visitors can see alpine flowers, ferns, wild roses, forests of pine, etc. Lakshman Ganga, Surging Waters Lake is also visible here.

Yogadhyan Badri: It is believed that Father of Pandavas meditated here. This is the birth place of Pandavas. It is located 19kms away from Hemkund.

Auli: This is most popular winter destination of Uttarakhand. From this place visitors can have best view of the Himalayan Mountain range. It is located 49kms away from Hemkund.

Badrinath: Major attraction of this town is Badrinath Temple. Badrinath Attractions are Badrinath Temple, Tapt Kund, Surya Kund, Charanpaduka, Brahma Kapal, Narada Kund. It is located 42kms away from Hemkund.

Joshimath: It is one among the 4 Peeths (centres). This is most sacred place to the Hindus. It was established by Adi Shankaracharya. . It is located 36kms away from Hemkund.

Valley of Flowers: Major attractions of this place are Pristine air, snow clad peaks, milky white streams, meadows and alpine shrubs. It is located 35kms away from Hemkund.

Roop Kund: The edges of the kund are covered with snow round the year. Presence of skeletons can be seen when the snow melts. No one knows why these skeletons are there. So this is called Mystery Lake.

Rudranath Temple: It is one of the Panch Kedars. It is located in the middle of the thick forest.

Tapovan: It is located 15kms away from Joshimath. Hot springs are famous here.

 

Getting to Hemkund Sahib: Trekking, walking or by pony are the options of visitors to reach this place. Before visiting this place tourists have to reach Govindghat via Rishikesh from Delhi. Nearest village is Ghangaria which is 13kms away from Hemkund. 1100 meters climb on 6kms of stone paved path leads to Hemkund. Nearest airport is at Delhi.

 

Getting around Hemkund Sahib: From Ghangaria, buses and taxis are available to reach the surrounding places.

 

Best time to visit Hemkund Sahib: Between October to April path to this place is covered by snow. At that time it is not possible to access this place. Remaining months is the only option to visit this place.

 

Where to stay at Hemkund Sahib: No accommodations are available at Hemkund. Staying at this place is not allowed. It is necessary to leave by 2 PM from this place.

 

Where to eat at Hemkund Sahib: Eateries will not be available at Hemkund Sahib. Eateries are available at Ghangaria.

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Nandaprayag

Nandaprayag

Uttarakhand, North India, Adventurous sports, Mahabharata, Nature, Panch Prayag, Pandavas, Temple, Trekking, Valley

April 102014